Perhaps her mother and sister did not fully like this, but
they could not interfere before our faces. And Parson Frank was
really kind to him; took him out walking when going to Hillside, and
talked to him so as to draw him out; certifying, perhaps, that he
would do no harm, although, indeed, the family looked on dear good
Frank as a sort of boy, too kind-hearted and genial for his approval
to be worth as much as that of the more severe.
These were our only Christmas visitors, for the state of the country
did not invite Londoners; but we did not want them. The suppression
of Clarence was the only flaw in a singularly happy time; and, after
all I believe I felt the pity of it more than he did, who expected
nothing, and was accustomed to being in the background.
For instance, one afternoon in the course of one of the grave
discussions that used to grow up between Miss Fordyce, Emily, and
me, over subjects trite to the better-instructed younger generation,
we got quite out of our shallow depths. I think it was on the
meaning of the 'Communion of Saints,' for the two girls were both
reading in preparation for a Confirmation at Bristol, and Miss
Fordyce knew more than we did on these subjects. All the time
Clarence had sat in the window, carving a bit of doll's furniture,
and quite forgotten; but at night he showed me the exposition copied
from Pearson on the Creed, a bit of Hooker, and extracts from one or
two sermons.
Pages:
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171