Dinah Craik

“ If at night her father came home jaded and worn, sickened to the soul by the hard battle he had to fight daily, hourly, with the outside world, Muriel would come softly and creep into his bosom, and he was comforted. If, busying herself about, doing faithfully her portion too, that the husband when he came in of evenings might find all cheerful and never know how heavy had been the household cares during the day—if, at times, Ursula's voice took too sharp a tone, at sight of Muriel it softened at once. No one could speak any but soft and sweet words when the blind child was by. ”

“ At last he roused himself, and took up his wife's work.
"More little coats! Love, you are always sewing."
"Mothers must—you know. And I think never did boys outgrow their things like our boys. It is pleasant, too. If only clothes did not wear out so fast."
"Ah!" A sigh—from the very depths of the father's heart.
"Not a bit too fast for my clever fingers, though," said Ursula, quickly. "Look, John, at this lovely braiding. But I'm not going to do any more of it. I shall certainly have no time to waste over fineries at Longfield." ”

“ I wished to try and work for my living, if that were possible—if not, that out of the wreck of my father's trade might be found enough to keep me, in some poor way. But John Halifax would not hear of that. And Ursula—she was sitting sewing, while the little one lay on her lap, cooing softly with shut eyes—Ursula took my hand to play with Muriel's. The baby fingers closed over mine—"See there, Phineas; SHE wants you too." ”

“ John Halifax. "SIR, "Your wife, Ursula Halifax, having some time since attained the age fixed by her late father as her majority, I will, within month after date, pay over to your order all moneys, principal an interest, accruing to her, and hitherto left in my hands, as trustee according to the will of the late Henry March, Esquire. "I am, sir, "Yours, etc., "RICHARD BRITHWOOD." "Wonderful—wonderful!"
It was all I could say. That one bad man, for his own purposes, should influence another bad man to an act of justice—and that their double evil should be made to work out our good! ”

“ Halifax, do not imagine we are a Catholic family still. I hope the next Earl of Luxmore will be able to take the oaths and his seat, whether or no we get Emancipation. By the by, you uphold the Bill?"
John assented; expressing his conviction, then unhappily a rare one, that every one's conscience is free; and that all men of blameless life ought to be protected by, and allowed to serve, the state, whatever be their religious opinions. ”

“ Perhaps the earl, who, as his pleasures palled, was understood to be fixing his keen wits upon the pet profligacy of old age, politics—saw, clearly enough, that in these chaotic days of contending parties, when the maddened outcry of the "people" was just being heard and listened to, it might be as well not to make an enemy of this young man, who, with a few more, stood as it were midway in the gulf, now slowly beginning to narrow, between the commonalty and the aristocracy. ”

“ But, then, we want a middle class—at least, an occasional voice from it, a—"
"A shepherd's dog, to give tongue," said John, dryly. "In short, a public orator. In the House, or out of it?"
"Both." And the earl tapped his boot with that royal cane, smiling. "Yes; I see you apprehend me. But, before we commence that somewhat delicate subject, there was another on which I desired my agent, Mr. Brown, to obtain your valuable opinion."
"You mean, when, yesterday, he offered me, by your lordship's express desire, the lease, lately fallen in, of your cloth-mills at Enderley?" ”

“ I do not. We will find some other pleasures for the children. We have so many pleasures, ay, all of us. Husband, it is not so hard to give up this one."
He said, in a whisper, low almost as a lover's, "I could give up anything in the world but them and thee."
So, with a brief information to me at supper-time—"Uncle Phineas, did you hear? we cannot go to Longfield,"—the renunciation was made, and the subject ended. For this year, at least, our Arcadian dream was over.
But John's troubled looks did not pass away. ”

“ For it bound us all together, hand in hand; it taught us endurance, self-dependence, and, best of all lessons, self-renunciation. I think, one's whole after-life is made easier and more blessed by having known what it was to be very poor when one was young.
Our fortunes were rising now, and any little pleasure did not take near so much contrivance. We found we could manage the Longfield visit—ay, and a horse for John to ride to and fro—without any worse sacrifice than that of leaving Jenny—now Mrs. ”

“ The election would cost me scarcely any—trouble; and the country be vastly the gainer by your husband's talents and probity. Of course he will give up the—I forget what is his business now—and live independent. He is made to shine as a politician: it will be both happiness and honour to myself to have in some way contributed to that end. Mr. Halifax, you will accept my borough?"
"Not on any consideration your lordship could offer me."
Lord Luxmore scarcely credited his ears. ”

“ I wish I could buy her one of those new instruments they call 'pianofortes;' I was looking into the mechanism of one the other day."
"She would like an organ better. You should have seen her face in the Abbey church this morning."
"Hark! she has stopped playing. Guy, run and bring your sister here," said the father, ever yearning after his darling. ”

“ Enter parliament! John Halifax in parliament! His wife and I were both astounded by the suddenness of the possibility; which, however, John himself seemed to receive as no novel idea.
Lord Luxmore continued. "I assure you nothing is more easy; I can bring you in at once, for a borough near here—my family borough."
"Which you wish to be held by some convenient person till Lord Ravenel comes of age? So Mr. ”