The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
The cry was almost involuntary, and the eyes of father and son met in a glance of equal
sadness and endurance. Looking up in her turn Mrs. Fleetwood saw the glance and felt
remorseful
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“I should dearly have liked you to have a sister, Simon," she said, half-apologetically.
"It is quite right for you to be big — boys ought to be big, and you are like your father,
you see. If I had had a little daughter she might have been like my people. All the
Westons are finely made, and have delicate, straight features like this little dear. I could
have dressed her so pretty, and she'd have stayed at home with me when you and your
father were out. I can't help envying Madam Charnock."
"Good Lord!" cried her husband, speaking for once with some impatience, "Madam
Charnock, poor lady, would give all in the world to be the mother of such a fine boy as
yours, ma'am."
A little later the Squire himself endorsed this statement. He came bustling in, very
grateful to the Fleetwoods for having come to the rescue of his only child, and much
relieved at the discovery of her whereabouts. But his displeasure with the little maid
herself was in proportion to his previous anxiety; he rated her soundly while her
I new friends assisted her to don shoes and socks, pelisse and bonnet. She had answered
his questions frankly and fearlessly; she wanted to see Cousin Humphrey and the other
boys skate, and had slipped away while nurse was putting on her bonnet. She had run so
fast, so fast, but could not catch them up; and when she had come to the woods she
could not find her way, and the cold had made her cry, and then "the boy" had found
her.
"You will please forgive her, sir," put in Mrs. Fleetwood softly. “She is such a little girl,
and she did not mean to be naughty, did you, my pretty?"
The star-like eyes were raised to the soft and somewhat faded ones which were looking
down so kindly, and after a moment's reflection, the curly head nodded emphatically:—
[34]
"Yes, I did. I thought I would be naughty for once, I like being naughty."