\"on the principle that a living ass is better than a dead lion?\"

\"perhaps so. i don\"t analyse my feelings.\"

\"i am content to take your liking me, without examining too curiouslyinto the materials it is made of. only we need not walk at a snail\"s\"

pace.\"

\"very well. walk at your own pace, and i will follow. or stop still andmeditate, like the hamlet you pare yourself to, if i go too fast.\"

\"thank you. but as my mother has not murdered my father, andafterwards married my uncle, i shouldn\"t know what to think about,unless it were balancing the chances of our hāving a well-cooked dinneror not. what do you think?\"

\"i am in good hopes. she used to be considered a famous cook as far ashelstone opinion went.\"

\"but hāve you considered the distraction of mind produced by all thishaymaking?\"

margaret felt all mr. bell\"s kindness in trying to make cheerful talkabout nothing, to endeāvour to prevent her from thinking too curiouslyabout the past. but she would rather hāve gone over these dear-lovedwalks in silence, if indeed she were not ungrateful enough to wish thatshe might hāve been alone.

they reached the cottage where susan\"s widowed mother lived. susanwas not there. she was gone to the parochial school. margaret wasdisappointed, and the poor woman saw it, and began to make a kind ofapology.

\"oh! it is quite right,\" said margaret. \"i am very glad to hear it. i mighthāve thought of it. only she used to stop at home with you.\"

\"yes, she did; and i miss her sadly. i used to teach her what little i knewat nights. it were not much to be sure. but she were getting such ahandy girl, that i miss her sore. but she\"s a deal above me in learningnow.\" and the mother sighed.

\"i\"m all wrong,\" growled mr. bell. \"don\"t mind what i say. i\"m a hundredyears behind the world. but i should say, that the child was getting abetter and simpler, and more natural education stopping at home, andhelping her mother, and learning to read a chapter in the newtestament every night by her side, than from all the schooling under thesun.\"

margaret did not want to encourage him to go on by replying to him,and so prolonging the discussion before the mother. so she turned toher and asked,\"how is old betty barnes?\"

--txt?小?说?天堂

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