Rolla

“ Rolla is supremely happy here; goes in and out of the house as he pleases; has discovered a large pumpkin; has frequently contributions of pears and apples pouring in to him as offerings from foreign potentates; wears red velvet and gold constantly, because he hates cold ”

“ However, he presently abandoned this style for the more subjective strain of ‘Les Voeux Steyiles, Octave, Les Secretes Pensees de Rafael, Namouna, and Rolla’, the last two being very eloquent at times, though immature. Rolla (1833) is one of the strongest and most depressing of his works; the sceptic regrets the faith he has lost the power to regain, and realizes in lurid flashes the desolate emptiness of his own heart. At this period the crisis of his life was reached. He accompanied George Sand to Italy, a rupture between them occurred, and De Musset returned to Paris alone in 1834. ”

“ Corrus being denied the right to visit any woman save Cunora, Dulnop hurried to Rolla and told her what he and the herdsman had learned. The three testimonies made an unshakable case.
"By the great god Mownoth!" swore Corrus in vast delight when Dulnop had reported. "We have learned a way to make ourselves free! ”

“ Suppose we want a couple of weeks before doing anything further? The more afraid the bees are in advance, the easier for Rolla and her friends."
Meanwhile Corrus, after a sleepless night with his cattle, had driven them hurriedly back to the huts surrounding the "experimental station." Here the herdsman turned his herd over to another man, and then strode over among the huts. Outside one of them—probably Rolla's—he paused and gazed longingly, then gave a deep sigh and went on. Shortly he reached another hut in which he found Dulnop. ”

“ He and Rollo went out into the garden to look at the establishment, and found every thing as they had left it the night before. Rollo felt quite confident of the success of his experiment. The only thing that gave him any uneasiness was the want of a queen bee. He and Henry were just speculating upon the expediency [Pg 119] of sending in a bumble-bee instead, for a king, when their attention was arrested by hearing Jonas calling Rollo. They looked up, and saw him standing at the garden gate. ”

“ Rollo and the rocks were congenial society. If he met the little Queen of the company indeed anywhere, he would lift his hat and stand by to let her pass with the most courtier-like deference; he would lift his hat to her shadow; but he never testified any inclination to follow it. The more notable this was, because Rollo was a pet of the world himself; one of those whom every society welcomes, and who for that very reason perhaps are a little nonchalant towards society. ”

“ Rollo ran into the house with great haste and eagerness, leaving all the doors open, and calling out, “Father, father,” as soon as he had begun to open the parlor door.
“Father, father,” said he, running up to him, “I wish you would let Jonas go with us to-morrow.”
Now, Rollo’s father had come home but a short time before, and was just seated quietly in his arm-chair, reading a newspaper, and Rollo came up to him, pulling down the paper with his hands, and looking up into his father’s face, so as to stop his reading at once. Heedless boys very often come to ask favors in this way. ”

“ The boys all stopped to listen.
“We are going home,” said he; “we shall take cold if we stand still here. You may stay, however, with Jonas, only you must not sit down.”
So Rollo’s father and mother turned away, and walked along back towards the house, the light shining more and more faintly upon them, until they were lost among the trees.
“Why do you suppose we must not sit down?” said Lucy.
“Because,” said Jonas, “they are afraid you will take cold. As long as you run about and play around the fires, you keep warm.”
“O, then we will run about and play fast enough,” said James. ”

“ So he took hold of the branch that Rollo had hold of. They both felt guilty and condemned, but their angry feelings urged them on, and they looked fiercely at each other, and pulled upon the branch.
“Rollo,” said James, “let go.”
“James,” said Rollo, “I tell you, let my wigwam alone.”
“It is not your wigwam.”
“I tell you it is.”
Just then they heard a noise in the bushes. They looked around, and saw Jonas coming towards them. They felt ashamed, and were silent, though each kept hold of the branch.
“Now, boys,” said Jonas, “you have got into a foolish and wicked quarrel. ”

“ Rollo stood silent and thoughtful as Jonas said this, with his piece of wood in one hand, and his hatchet in the other.
“It takes a great deal of patience to make a thing which we never made before.”
“Why?” said Rollo.
“O, because there are always unforeseen difficulties. We don’t know exactly how to do it, and are apt to make mistakes; and so we spoil some of our work, and this makes us impatient and fretful.”
“But I could not help coming to you,” said Rollo, “when I found I could not sharpen my wedge.” ”

“ They all looked much pleased but Lucy seemed in delight. She wanted to have it go in their chaise, and asked Rollo to let her hold the nest in her lap.
Rollo did not answer very directly, for he was busy looking at the bird,—seeing him open his mouth, and wishing he had something to give him to eat.
“Father,” said he, “what shall we feed him with? Jonas was going to catch a grasshopper, but I thought that would not be right.”
“Why not?” said uncle George.
“Because,” said Rollo, “he has as good a right to his life as the bird, has not he, father?” ”

“ Rollo laughed and walked on. It was not long before they reached a place where there was a kind of granary, or some other farm building of that sort, near the road, with a little yard where some logs were lying. Rollo found excellent seats for his father and mother on these logs. They sat on one of them, and leaned their backs against another that was a little higher up. They were in the shade of the building, too, so that the place was very cool.
"This is a very nice place to rest," said Mrs. Holiday; "and while we are sitting, we can amuse ourselves in looking at the people that go by." ”

“ You can write on the under side of a lilac leaf with the point of a pin.”
“Can we?” said Lucy, with a look of curiosity and pleasure.
“Yes,” said Mary, “you need not write the whole name. You can write the first letter—that will be enough. R. stands for Rollo, L. for Lucy, H. for Henry, J. for James, and N. for Nathan.”
“Ho!” said Rollo, “Nathan won’t do for a regent.”
“Perhaps not,” said Mary; “each one of you must vote for the one you think best. Now get your lilac leaves, and I will drop you down some pins.” ”

“ Those that are far enough from the North Star to go [Pg 105] down below the horizon, rise and set; and those that are not far enough, go round and round in circles, in the open sky. But the North Star keeps still.”
“Does it?” said Rollo, turning around, and looking up to the part of the heavens where he had seen the star the evening before.
“Yes,” said Jonas; “and the reason why we cannot see it now, is the bright daylight. It is up there now, just where it was last night.”
“And the Dipper, too?” said Rollo. ”

“ He accordingly poised a needle carefully upon a cork, as his father had done in his lecture, and put it in a basin of water upon the platform. But he did not succeed very well. The needle would always swing round, and turn its point towards the garden gate; but Rollo knew very well that the garden gate was not north from the platform. He remembered that the North Star was over the barn, for he and Jonas had noticed it particularly when they had made the dial. ”

“ Jonas then took up the paper carefully by the two sides, bending the two sides upward at the same time, to keep the filings in the middle of the paper. In this way he raised the paper above the lamp, which was upon the table before him, and then holding it in an inclined position, he let the sand slide down into the flame of the lamp. To Rollo’s surprise and delight, it produced a column of sparkles rising up from the flame, which were of the greatest brilliancy and beauty.
“Yes,” said Rollo, “they burn, they burn most beautifully. ”

“ The boys sat down on the bank of the brook, and began to pick up little stones and throw them into the water. They began soon to talk of the window again.
Rollo said, “Jonas thought you were most to blame, I know.”
“No, he did not,” replied James. “He blamed you the most; he said you were unjust.”
“I don’t care,” said Rollo. “You do not know how to build a wigwam. You cannot reach high enough to make a window.”
“I can reach high,” said James. “I can reach as high as that,” said he, stretching up his hand. ”

“ Rollo was confounded, and had not a word to say.
“Now, Rollo,” continued his father, “all the rest of us are disposed to be good-humored, and to acquiesce in God’s decision, and try to have a happy day at home; and we cannot have it spoiled by your wicked repinings. So you must go away by yourself, until you feel willing to submit pleasantly and with good humor. Then you may come back, but be sure not to come back before.”
REPENTANCE.
Now there was in Rollo’s house a small back garret, over a part of the kitchen chamber, which had one small window in it, looking out into the garden. ”

“ The next day, Jonas sawed off the ends of both stakes where they projected beyond the junction; and then Rollo said he would watch the clock all day, and mark the place where the shadow came each hour, and drive a little stake down. “Then,” said he, “our dial will be done.”
“But what do you suppose is the reason,” said Rollo, “that we must make it point to the North Star more than to any other?”
“I don’t know,” said Jonas, “unless it is because the North Star is the only one that keeps always in the same place. The rest move round and round every day. ”

“ There was no end to the cascades and waterfalls, the ice and snow-clad summits, the glaciers, the romantic zigzag paths up the mountain sides, the picturesque hamlets and cottages, and the groups of peasants toiling in the fields or tending flocks and herds in the higher pasturages. Rollo's heart was filled all the time that he remained among these scenes with never-ceasing wonder and delight. The inns pleased him, too, as much perhaps as any thing else; for the climbing of mountains and the long excursions on foot gave him a most excellent appetite ”

“ These grooves led to the mouths of the animals, and they were invisible to persons looking up from below, so that to observers on the ground each animal appeared perfect in his form, and was seen stretching out the whole length of his body from the cornices of the building, and pouring out the water from his mouth.
From these outer galleries Rollo could not only see the pinnacles, and turrets, and flying buttresses, of the part of the church which was finished, but he could also observe the immense works of scaffolding and machinery erected around the part which was now in progress. ”

“ So Mr. George went back to the boat, and Rollo continued his walk, thinking on the way of the question which his uncle had suggested, whether his father would consider the loss of his ticket a casualty or not. He determined, however, very resolutely, that he would not lose it; and so he put it away safely in his wallet, and then went on. The road was very smooth and pleasant to walk in, being bordered by green fields on the one hand, and the water of the harbor on the other. Rollo came at length to the hill. ”

“ Then he took his dipper, which had, all this time, been lying forgotten by the side of a log, on the shore, and walked along—the dipper full of raspberries in one hand, the lantern in the other, and his bright and beautiful pebbles in his pocket.
Rollo followed the path along the banks of the brook under the trees, until at length he came out to the open ground where Jonas was at work. There was a broad meadow, or rather marsh, which extended back to [Pg 20] some distance from the brook, and beyond it the land rose to a hill. ”

“ He said the blueberries were much thicker around there, and also that he had been talking with the boys, and he was sure they were good boys.
“No, Rollo,” said his father, decidedly, “I cannot think that any boys that use bad language can be good boys, or safe companions for you. I had rather you would keep with us. If they speak to you, answer them civilly; but the less you have to say to them or do with them, the better. In fact, I had rather you would not go back to them at all.”
“I must,” said Rollo, “to get my basket.” ”

“ He dug down a few inches, and then took up a hoe full of the earth, and held it out to Rollo to try it with his fingers, that he might feel how hot it was. Rollo put his fingers upon the earth, but he could not hold them there an instant.
It seemed to Mrs. Gray that it must be dangerous to remain long in such a place; and so she prepared to move away, and Rollo and Josie, as they had now seen all that there was to be seen at this place, followed her. They went on by the road, round to another part of the crater, where there was some sort of manufactory of alum. ”

“ THE PRINCIPLES OF ORDER.
“Father,” said Rollo, at the dinner-table, “do you think it will rain all the afternoon?”
“It looks like it,” replied his father, “but why? Do you not enjoy yourselves in the house?”
“O yes, sir,” said Rollo, “we have had a fine time this morning; but Lucy and I thought that, if it did not rain this afternoon, we might go out in the garden a little.”
“It may clear up towards night; but, if it does, I think it would be better to go down to the brook and see the freshet, than to go into the garden.”
“The freshet? Will there be a freshet, do you think?” ”