I shall live to give you more trouble yet."
"Even trouble's precious if that's all my son is likely to give me. I
would rather have trouble than nothing." She went out, closing the door
softly as if she were leaving a sick room. Bessie felt very sorry for
her, and when she looked at Harry again, and saw the expression of
helpless, painful regret in his face, she could have wept for them both.
"Poor mother! she is bitterly disappointed in me, Bessie," he said,
dropping into one of the huge old elbow-chairs.
"Oh, Harry, it is all her love! She will get over this, and you will
repay her hurt pride another day," cried Bessie, eager to comfort him.
"Shall I, Bessie? But how? but when? We must take counsel together.
They have been telling me it is selfish and a sacrifice and unmanly to
bind Bessie to me now, but I see no sign that Bessie wants her freedom,"
he said, looking at her with laughing, wistful eyes--always with that
sense of masculine triumph which Bessie's humility had encouraged.
"Oh, Harry, I want no freedom but the freedom to love and serve you!"
cried she with a rush of tears and a hand held out to him. And then with
an irresistible, passionate sorrow she fell on her knees beside him and
hid her face on his shoulder. He put his arm round her and held her fast
for several minutes, himself too moved to speak. He guessed what this
sudden outburst of feeling meant: it meant that Bessie saw him so
altered, saw through his quiet humor into the deep anxiety of his heart.
Pages:
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524