It may be a little hard at first; but woe to my proud
heart, if I find it so on trial; for I will make it bend to its
condition, or break it.
I have read of a good bishop that was to be burnt for his religion; and
he tried how he could bear it, by putting his fingers into the lighted
candle: So I, t'other day, tried, when Rachel's back was turned, if I
could not scour a pewter plate she had begun. I see I could do't by
degrees: It only blistered my hand in two places.
All the matter is, if I could get plain-work enough, I need not spoil my
fingers. But if I can't, I hope to make my hands as red as a blood-
pudding, and as hard as a beechen trencher, to accommodate them to my
condition.--But I must break off; here's somebody coming.
'Tis only our Hannah with a message from Mrs. Jervis.--But, hold, here's
somebody else. Well, it is only Rachel.
I am as much frighted, as were the city mouse and the country mouse, in
the same book of fables, at every thing that stirs. O! I have a power of
these things to entertain you with in winter evenings, when I come home.
If I can but get work, with a little time for reading, I hope we shall be
very happy over our peat fires.
What made me hint to you, that I should bring but little with me, is
this:
You must know, I did intend to do, as I have this afternoon: and that is,
I took all my clothes, and all my linen, and I divided them into three
parcels, as I had before told Mrs.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125