I've lived with the family forty-nine year come
Michaelmas, and I'll not see it disgraced by any one's fine long
curls. Sit down and let me snip off your hair; and let me see you
sham decently in a widow's cap to-morrow, or I'll leave the
house. Whatten's come over Miss Faith, as used to be as mim a
lady as ever was, to be taken by such as you, I dunnot know. Here
I sit down with ye, and let me crop you."
She laid no light hand on Ruth's shoulder; and the latter, partly
intimidated by the old servant, who had hitherto only turned her
vixen lining to observation, and partly because she was
broken-spirited enough to be indifferent to the measure proposed,
quietly sat down. Sally produced the formidable pair of scissors
that always hung at her side, and began to cut in a merciless
manner. She expected some remonstrance or some opposition, and
had a torrent of words ready to flow forth at the least sign of
rebellion; but Ruth was still and silent, with meekly-bowed head,
under the strange hands that were shearing her beautiful hair
into the clipped shortness of a boy's. Long before she had
finished, Sally had some slight misgivings as to the fancied
necessity of her task; but it was too late, for half the curls
were gone, and the rest must now come off. When she had done, she
lifted up Ruth's face by placing her hand under the round white
chin. She gazed into the countenance, expecting to read some
anger there, though it had not come out in words; but she only
met the large, quiet eyes, that looked at her with sad gentleness
out of their finely-hollowed orbits.
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