The White Peacock

On the second Saturday before Christmas the world was transformed; tall, silver and pearl-grey trees rose pale against a dim-blue sky, like trees in some rare, pale Paradis

the house. No longer the mists and dank weather made the home dear; tonight even the glare of the distant

ondon again. She tried to remonstrate in a

itated a while-said she would come too. I sup

ould rather

come!" said I, s

herself in French. We came to the Mill. Gyp did not bark. I opened the outer door and we cre

own curls, sitting by her father, who, in the fire-seat, was reading aloud in a hearty voice, with quaint precision. At the table sat Emily and George: she was quickly picking over a pile of little yellow raisins, and he, slowly, with his head sunk, was ston

exclaime

" cried

oray!" sho

yril!" sa

me. They overwhelmed me with questions, and made muc

n off her hat and furs and coat. "But you do not

all day long but the sound of the sluice-and mists, a

better, Lettie?"

le bit ill so that we can cade him. Let me he

ne side with her apple-peeling. Georg

like to feel my fingers so sticky, and b

long time, then, for the

one now and th

e I should e

may give m

a handful wi

ooking. Let me just finish this app

ing up a long curl

must I swing i

ut it's not Al

green peel over her head three times, letting it fall the t

" cried Lett

king and laughing-the mot

ng his confusion at being in the presence of a l

'hess'-if you c

tie looked over at me imp

say, Emily?

It's only you can se

e right letter," s

e, "who can look int

t 'em and watched

fire, laughing a short laugh

id softly, so that he should not hear, that Ge

arply, "You're leaving

o was

id eat.'" he said quietly, taking a handful of the fruit he had pi

oo bad!"

m an apple she had peeled. "You

Then a malicious smile twinkl

apple, to whom wil

derstood his first reference to the Prod

want it?"

as if jesting. "She is offe

nt, looking at him with dilated eyes, and then she flung it at the fire. S

e slow, George-when a lady offers you

e cried, laughing now a

ily?" asked the father,

oo fast for me

in his chair, his hands

after all, Emily," said Lettie brig

omfort," said E

. As he sat thus, with his head thrown back against the end of the ingle-seat,

et my fat away,"

ril. We do not burn our bodies i

king at her indifferently beneath hi

all "Good-night"-save George. At last they were gone, accompanied by their mother. Emily put down her chopper, and sighed that her arm was aching, so I relieved her. The chopping went on for a long time, while the fa

still-it's so near Christm

e?" sai

ce-a d

sat straight

on!" h

was hot and perspiring, and she was panting, when I put her in a chair. But they whirled on in the dance, on and on till I was giddy, till the father laughing, cried that they should stop. But George continued the dance; her hair was shaken loose, and fell in a great coil down her back; her feet began to drag; you could hear a light slur on the floor; she was panting-I could see her lips murmur to him, begging him to stop; he was laughing with open mouth, hold

one it-it is

he brush and combs, and Emily followed with a candle. When she returned, ordered once more, with a little pallor succeeding the flush, and with a great black

e was not as harsh as her words. He gave

er?" h

u dance

ur ple

hen-a m

t kno

you must dance

. It was very ridiculous. When it was finished she bowed him to his seat, and, wiping her hands on her

enjoyed it

much," sh

ok a fool-so no

u are ironical! Ca marche! In other words,

lowered his eyelid

, "some are bred for th

foolery,"

y because you cannot do i

can't

you? You are not

said, lighting a pipe as if the c

ges since w

cFadden he w

ere not gaited

time. I never thought of you before as Clarence. It is ver

Who's c

he old people-Alice-Tom Smith

at will

ance a little-an

ol

letas. Come and dan

d she danced elegantly, but with a little of Carmen's ostentat

d! They do look nice, don't the

id George, lau

yril," said Emily, in her pleading w

sk me?" said the

ou are not

and she waved Emily im

The other is shorter, much heavier. In her every motion you can see the extravagance of her emotional nature. She quivers with feeling; emotion conquers and carries havoc through her, for she has not a s

d terror of her continued failure, and passionate, trembling, hopeless desire to succeed. To show her, to explain, made matters worse. As soon as she trembled on the brink of an action, the terror of not being able to perform it properly blinded her, and she was conscious of nothing but that she must do somet

r a word about her engagement, not a suggestion. She made it seem as if things were just as before, although I

were ready to go hom

the party-with plenty of berries, you know. Are

as very dark-the liquid stars wavered. The great night filled us with awe. Lettie caught hold of my arm, and held it tightly. He passed on in front to open the gates. We went down into the front garden, over the turf bridge wher

ey are there-the two t

followed

said, "Her

ould just see the dark bush of the mistletoe betw

berries?" she said. "I ca

the dark glow of her eyes. He caught her in his arms, and held her mouth in a kiss. Then, when he released her, he turned away, saying something incoherent about going to fetc

ing the lant

aid, and his voice wa

n see what

mistletoe sparsely pearled with berries. Instead of looking at the berries they looked into each other's eyes; his lids flickered, and he

f fact there

f mistletoe, with berries, and offered it to her. They looked into each other's eyes again. She put the mistletoe among her furs, looking down at her bosom. They remained still, in the cen

is plenty

e replied, turning away and

o home. He came as far as the brooks without saying another word. Then he bade us good-night.

e gleaming ivy-bunches from the trees. From the farms around came the cruel yelling of pigs, and in the evening later,

letoe, gay with oranges peeping through the boxes, and scarlet intrusion of apples, and wild confusion of cold, dead poult

brake, I was walking with Lettie. All among the mesh of twigs overhead w

argely patched with tough cotton moleskin; scarves were knotted round their throats, and in

"Are you going to wo

it, don't it?"

e will you be

'alf pa

tmas m

out for the herald Angel

dirty little uns," said t

p ter th' top," added the elder boy- "a

"You'd ha'e ter bath 'em after.

said the el

f, slurring the

mas!" I calle

in'," replie

unger, and he began to sin

s with their

n the dewy

ie, "those boys ar

f past seven. The lamp was turned low, and Rebecca sat in the shadows. On the table, in

who's sent you

a from the depth of the shadow, wi

r saw them i

hed them these three weeks,

auties. I thought some one

een sent me," replied Rebe

t's the

e matter! Nobody-nor ever was, nor eve

's upset y

s a gardener clips off wi' never a thought is preferred before mine as I've fettled a

ted and full of the idea of the party at Highclose; I could imagine

," said I, "she is

easy fo

all, Becky-

. They looked into each other's eyes when they met, both triumphant, excited, blazing arch looks at one another. Lettie was enjoying her public demonstration immensely; it exhilarated her into quite a vivid love for him. He was magnificent in response

ach under the mistletoe-except that two of them kisse

ve you are a wolf-a veritable r?deur des femm

reminds you o

least-it is well that my

so very bi

yself to him, somehow or other. One never

eak from exper

stmasy, and I'd just been reading

" I a

lp admiring men who are a bit avoirdupoi

fortunate

ity I didn't think to ask

e influenced

dance all the more with the reall

y n

an only m

cour

u leave me to the tender mercies of the world

fat fellow with a childish bare face. He smiled

and his low musical tone. I nearly loved him myself. She was very fond towards him. As we came to the gate where the private road branched from the highway, we heard John say "Thank you"-and looking out, saw our two boys returning from the pit. They were