"
Mistress Plodgitt, the landlady, could not resist the desire to acquaint
Carmen De Haro with her good fortune. "He was always a friend of yours,
my dear,--and I know him to be a gentleman that would never let a
poor widow suffer; and see what he says about you!" Here she produced
Thatcher's note and read: "Tell my little neighbor that I shall come
back soon to carry her and her sketching tools off by force, and I shall
not let her return until she has caught the black mountains and the
red rocks she used to talk about, and put the 'Blue Mass' mill in the
foreground of the picture I shall order."
What is this, little one? Surely, Carmen, thou needst not blush at
this, thy first grand offer. Holy Virgin! is it of a necessity that thou
shouldst stick the wrong end of thy brush in thy mouth, and then drop it
in thy lap? Or was it taught thee by the good Sisters at the convent to
stride in that boyish fashion to the side of thy elders and snatch from
their hands the missive thou wouldst read? More of this we would know,
O Carmen,--smallest of brunettes,--speak, little one, even in thine own
melodious speech, that I may commend thee and thy rare discretion to my
own fair countrywomen.
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