She began to suspect that
her whole course with her son had been wrong
from the very beginning. Why had she not
told him the stern truth, even if he should
despise her for it, even if she should have to stand
a blushing culprit in his presence? Often, when
she heard his footsteps in the hall, as he returned
from the work of the day, she would man herself
up and the words hovered upon her lips:
"Son, thou art a bastard born, a child of guilt,
and thy mother is an outcast upon the earth."
But when she met those calm blue eyes of his,
saw the unsuspecting frankness of his manner
and the hopefulness with which he looked to
the future, her womanly heart shrank from its
duty, and she hastened out of the room, threw
herself on her bed, and wept. Fiercely she
wrestled with God in prayer, until she thought
that even God had deserted her. Thus months
passed and years, and the constant care and
anxiety began to affect her health. She grew
pale and nervous, and the slightest noise would
annoy her. In the mean while, her manner
toward the young man had become strangely
altered, and he soon noticed it, although he
forbore to speak. She was scrupulously mindful
of his comfort, anxiously anticipated his wants,
and observed toward him an ever vigilant consideration,
as if he had been her master instead of her son.
When Thomas was twenty-two years of age,
he was offered a partnership in his employer's
business, and with every year his prospects
brightened.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101