But I do not think he ever so argued with his mother.
Her lovely patience, and her humility, was earning its reward;
and from her quiet piety, bearing sweetly the denial of her
wishes--the refusal of her begging--the disgrace in which she
lay, while others, less worthy were employed--this, which
perplexed him, and almost angered him at first, called out his
reverence at last, and what she said he took for his law with
proud humility; and thus softly she was leading him up to God.
His health was not strong; it was not likely to be. He moaned and
talked in his sleep, and his appetite was still variable, part of
which might be owing to his preference of the hardest lessons to
any outdoor exercise. But this last unnatural symptom was
vanishing before the assiduous kindness of Mr. Farquhar, and the
quiet but firm desire of his mother. Next to Ruth, Sally had
perhaps the most influence over him; but he dearly loved both Mr.
and Miss Benson; although he was reserved on this, as on every
point not purely intellectual. His was a hard childhood, and his
mother felt that it was so. Children bear any moderate degree of
poverty and privation cheerfully; but, in addition to a good deal
of this, Leonard had to bear a sense of disgrace attaching to him
and to the creature he loved best; this it was that took out of
him the buoyancy and natural gladness of youth, in a way which no
scantiness of food or clothing or want of any outward comfort,
could ever have done.
Pages:
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512