The Squire of Sandal-Side

spring of lo

n glory of a

clinking, chatt

rnblende, rag a

id and t

t, gave only an air of loneliness to the landscape. She could see the white line of the stony road with a sad distinctness. It was no longer bordered with creeping vines and patches of murmuring bee-bent heather. And the stream-bed also had lost ne

g up the chimney, and throwing lustres on the carved oak presses and long settles, and on the bright brass and pewter vessels, and the rows of showy chinaware. Very pleasant to draw her chair to the little round table on the hearthstone, and to inhale the fragrance of the infusing tea, and the rich aro

, when she came to analyze its atmosphere, had in it the perceptible loneliness of the absent master. "Is not St

ut his fleeces. Whitney's carpet-works have made hi

N

when Sandal was up here this morning, I said, 'Let Charlotte come, and have a cup of tea with me, squire, I'd be glad.' And he said, 'When?' And I said, 'This afternoon. I am fair lonely without Steve.' And he

Steve loves me; and he says there is no love-line between our houses, and that, if there were, it is

. Her two daughters rejoiced at their wedding-days, and two out of her three sons she drove away from their home. Your father was on the point of going, when his brother Launcie's deat

, I

teve either this way or that way for any thing. Steve would not thank me if I did. He is one of them that wants to reach his happiness in his ow

ces of good society, and for a moment she resented a catechism so direct and personal; but only for a moment. Before Ducie had done speaking, she had remembered that nothing but true kindness could have prompted the inquiry. Duci

, if you do not know; or if

ou in the least. I love Stephen very dearly. I

fondly heart-grown to you, Charlotte. But we will say no more; and what w

o was to marry the head shepherd at Up-Hill; and at last, when there had been enough of indifferent t

scrape. And Harry was not doing well. "Father is vexed and troubled about him, Ducie," she answered. "Whenever a letter comes from Harry, it puts every thing wrong in the

is nothing but temptation in the army. Dear me, Charlotte! We may well pray not to be led into the

et down the teapot, and listened a moment. "I hear Steve's footstep

er! m

I am,

re and welcome imaginable; and Steve soon found himself sitting opposite the girl he loved so dearly, taking his cup from her hands, looking into her bright, kin

as Ducie said, "was plashing and pattering badly." She folded her own blanket-shawl around Charlotte; and as there was no wi

It was quite necessary that Charlotte should keep close to his side; it was quite natural that she should lift her face to his in talking; it was

teve. I told you at the harvest-home what father said, and what I had promis

t, Charlotte, you l

old excuse, 'The wom

to Bradford to learn all about spinning and weaving and machinery. But what is success without you? If I make every drea

your mill, before you are really ready to begin your life's work, many a change may have taken place in Sandal-Side. When Julius comes at Chr

andal has taken a dislike, and your mother w

up the ways of your fathers? The idea of mills

service, and get rewarded as old Christopher Sandal did. And I want to go to Parliament, and can't go without money. And I

spectful. All the old landmarks and traditions will disappear; also simple ways of living, calm religion, true friendships. Every good old sentiment

spirit of his age, he has all its unhappiness. But my greates

which says, 'Trust not the man who promises with an oath.'

since he had began to plan his own career. The wind rose, the rain fell in a down-pour before they reached the park-gates; but there was a certain joy in facing the wet breeze, and although they did not loiter, yet neithe

walls. Charlotte asked Steve to come in and rest a while. She tried to avoid showing either fear or hurry, and Steve was conscious of the same effort on his own part; but yet he knew that they both thought it well none of the family were aware of

er serve

er, Miss

her toilet-table burned dimly in the damp atmosphere. She hurriedly changed her gown, and was going down-stairs, when a movement in Sophia's room arrested her attention

atter? It feels as if there wer

he left his dinner untouched; and mother is in her room crying, of course. I do think it

he is in

s mean trouble for all who have the misfortune to have any thing to do with him. J

our Harry, and to you! I wonder you listened t

d, and he was very sorry to do so. He

ood of Harry, he would have had no conscientious scruples about silence;

ylike, such unchristianlike, things in my room. It i

e. Can you find me a s

er young man

y. Handsome, energetic, ent

the verge of a nervous headache, and I really think you had better leave me." She turned her chair towards the fire as she spoke, and hardly palliated this act of dismissal b

face, that always made a sunshiny feeling round the hearth, was absent; and the room had a loneliness that made her heart fear. She waited a few minutes, looking with expectation towards a piece of knitting which was Mrs. Sandal's evening work. But the ivory needle

and speak to

u can, Charlotte. We are glad to se

Harry,

ds, Charlotte; five hundred pounds, dear, and he wants it at once. Only six weeks ago he wrote in the

calling your own son and my son a thief. It's not f

g money from a father is any better than forcing it from a stranger. It is only using a father's love as a pick-lock instead of

always money," s

nk it is cruel of him to make every one ill before he gives what is sure to b

zed on my wool and wheat yet. I cannot coin money. I will

e, go to jail and disgrace for five hundred pounds. I

ing, Alice. Tell me how I am to f

ways. How can

not got some m

the thousand pounds your grandmoth

nterest s

vals. I think there is about thr

undred pounds. I shall be real glad to help Harry. Young men have so many temptations now,

ve the little breath of hope that Charlotte's faith in her brother gave him. He stood up, and took her face between his hands and

end for me

e is something to be done for Harry, an

but her air and attitude was that of a person suffering an extremity of physical an

ive hundred po

pounds. Father, I would not send him a soverei

orable to Harry's cause. The squire was on

a sinner. God Almighty only knows which kind of sinner is the meaner and worse. The long and the short of it, is this: Harry must have five hundred pounds. Charlotte i

should be asked to

and the honor of the name is worth saving. And because your mother will break her heart if shame comes to Harry. And there are some other

t is needed, Sophia.

think it is most unjust, most

ht had he to be discussing my family matters,

in the

ad of the family. If he has any advice to

as sick as can

, girls, both." And he turned away with an air of hopeless depr

harlotte saw that her very lips were white, and that heavy tears were silently rolling down her wan cheeks. They washed all of Charlotte's anger away; she forgot her resolution not to enter h

rry cries out at Edinburgh, every one in Seat-Sandal must be put out of their own way to help him. And I do think it is a shame th

e dress I want. You buy books and music, I do not. I have no use for my money except to

elder brother, I should have felt precisely as he did. I don't think he ought to be blamed. And it would certainly have been more just and proper for the father to have given the feast and the gifts to the son who never at any time transgressed his commandments. You see, Charlotte, that parab

go down for it. You are just as t

ays have such a bright, kind face. I am a

otte proposed to read to her from any book she desired; an offer involving no small degree of self-denial, for Sophia's books were very rarely interesting,

-night from Agnes Bulteel, and it appears to be about Professor Sedgwick. I was so annoyed at Harry I c

I have had on the Screes with him, and his hammer and leather bags! And, as Agnes writes a

m at all. One hot forenoon lately, when we were through at home, an old gentlemanly make of a fellow came into our fold, and said, quite natural, that he wanted somebody to go with him

n go raking over the fells on a fine

"Away with thee! It's a crown more than ever thou was worth at home." So the strange man gave Joe two little leather bags to carry; and Joe thought he was going to make his five shillings middling easy, for he never expected he would find an

s just the way Sedgwick goes on. He led father

I remember you loo

ing the bits into the bags that Joe was carrying. He fairly capped Joe then. He couldn't tell what to make of such a customer. At last Joe asked him why ever he came so far

she means,

Agnes spells i

table frequently, and must have heard

he had after that old man, carrying his leather bags. But, however, they got back to our house, and mother gave the stranger some bread and milk; and after he had taken it, and talked with father about sheep-f

u sleep

ar, no!

g to. So he shook them out of the bags, and stepped on a gay bit lighter without them. When he got near to Skeàl-Hill he found old Abraham Atchisson sitting on a stool, breaking stones to mend roads with; and Joe asked him if he could fill his leather bags from his heap. Abraham told Joe to

aham, Sophy? He built the s

ot remember

ing sleepy. S

finish th

uch a breakfast as isn't common with him, while the old gentleman was getting himself ready to go off in a carriage that was waiting at the door for him. When he came down-stairs he gave Joe another five shillings, and paid for Joe's breakfast, and for what he had eaten himself. Then he told him to put the leather bags beside the driver's feet, and into the carriage he got, and laughed, and nodded, an

you are s

. You can fini

with our own soul, and commune with it; and out of its peace pass easily into the shadowy kingdom of sleep, and find a little space of rest prepared. So Charlotte sat in quiet meditation until Sophia was fathoms deep below t

eh

ces of the nig

nder dreams, t

and sea; the

dim, strange rea

it ever