M ______—_____.____————————-

An Old, Unhappy, Far-off Thing

I can see her there at the door this very minute, Master, pale and trembling, cling— ing to Thomas’ arm, her great eyes chang- ing from sorrow and shame to wrath. It was just at sunset and a red ray came in at the window and fell right across her breast like a stain of blood.

“ Father called her a hard name, Mas- ter. Oh, he was too hard -— even though he was my father I must say he was too hard on her, broken—hearted as she was, and guilty of nothing more after all than a little wilfulness in the matter of her marriage.

“ And father was sorry for it - Oh, Master, the word wasn’t out of his mouth before he was sorry for it. But the mis- chief was done. Oh, I’ll never forget Mar- garet’s face, Master! It haunts me yet in the black of the night. It was full of anger and rebellion and defiance. But she never answered him back. She clenched her hands and went up to her old room without saying a word, all those mad feel~

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