But recognition of Amy showed his crime more heinous. It
brought back to Mr. Raymount's mind the vision of the bright girl he
used to watch in her daft and cheerful service, and with that vision
came the conviction that not she but Corney must be primarily to blame:
he had twice struck the woman his son had grievously wronged! He must
make to her whatever atonement was possible--first for having brought
the villain into the world to do her such wrong, then for his own
cruelty to her in her faithfulness! He pronounced himself the most
despicable and wretched of men: he had lifted his hand against a woman
that had been but in her right in following his son, and had shown
herself ready to die in his defence! His wife's tenderness confirmed the
predominance of these feelings, and he lay down in his dressing-room a
humbler man than he had ever been in his life before.
CHAPTER LVIII.
FATHER AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.
Hester carried poor little Amy to her own room, laid her on her own bed,
and did for her all one child of God could do for another. With hands
tender as a mother's, and weeping as she had never wept before, she
undressed her, put her in a warm bath, then got her into bed, and used
every enticement and persuasion to induce her to take some
nourishment--with poor success: the heart seemed to have gone out of
her.
Pages:
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675