There's
not a furrow in his face, there's not a hair upon his head, that
shall be forgotten in my prayers and thanks to Heaven!'
Caleb managed to articulate 'My Bertha!'
'And in my blindness, I believed him,' said the girl, caressing him
with tears of exquisite affection, 'to be so different! And having
him beside me, day by day, so mindful of me--always, never dreamed
of this!'
'The fresh smart father in the blue coat, Bertha,' said poor Caleb.
'He's gone!'
'Nothing is gone,' she answered. 'Dearest father, no! Everything
is here--in you. The father that I loved so well; the father that
I never loved enough, and never knew; the benefactor whom I first
began to reverence and love, because he had such sympathy for me;
All are here in you. Nothing is dead to me. The soul of all that
was most dear to me is here--here, with the worn face, and the grey
head. And I am NOT blind, father, any longer!'
Dot's whole attention had been concentrated, during this discourse,
upon the father and daughter; but looking, now, towards the little
Haymaker in the Moorish meadow, she saw that the clock was within a
few minutes of striking, and fell, immediately, into a nervous and
excited state.
Pages:
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145