| 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 |
| 1 | 133 | 265 | 398 | 530 |
|
'
'
'
Yes, mother, it's me.'
Why, how tired you look, my dear!'
Old master an't gone out to-night,' said Kit; 'and so she hasn't been at
the window at all.' With which words, he sat down by the fire and
looked very mournful and discontented.
The room in which Kit sat himself down, in this condition, was an
extremely poor and homely place, but with that air of comfort about it,
nevertheless, which - or the spot must be a wretched one indeed -
cleanliness and order can always impart in some degree. Late as the
Dutch clock' showed it to be, the poor woman was still hard at work at
an ironing-table; a young child lay sleeping in a cradle near the fire;
and another, a sturdy boy of two or three years old, very wide awake,
with a very tight night-cap on his head, and a night-gown very much
too small for him on his body, was sitting bolt upright in a clothes-
basket, staring over the rim with his great round eyes, and looking as
if he had thoroughly made up his mind never to go to sleep any more;
which, as he had already declined to take his natural rest and had
been brought out of bed in consequence, opened a cheerful prospect
for his relations and friends. It was rather a queer-looking family: Kit,
his mother, and the children, being all strongly alike.
Kit was disposed to be out of temper, as the best of us are too often -
but he looked at the youngest child who was sleeping soundly, and
from him to his other brother in the clothes-basket, and from him to
their mother, who had been at work without complaint since morning,
and thought it would be a better and kinder thing to be good-
humoured. So he rocked the cradle with his foot; made a face at the
rebel in the clothes-basket, which put him in high good-humour
directly; and stoutly determined to be talkative and make himself
agreeable.
'Ah, mother!' said Kit, taking out his clasp-knife, and falling upon a
great piece of bread and meat which she had had ready for him, hours
before, 'what a one you are! There an't many such as you, I know.'
'
I hope there are many a great deal better, Kit,' said Mrs Nubbles; 'and
that there are, or ought to be, accordin' to what the parson at chapel
says.'
'
Much he knows about it,' returned Kit contemptuously. 'Wait till he's
a widder and works like you do, and gets as little, and does as much,
and keeps his spirit up the same, and then I'll ask him what's o'clock
and trust him for being right to half a second.'
Page
Quick Jump
|