“There is a late post; we may hear to-night,” the lady said. He muttered something, I could not make out what.
Mr. Ellerslie was very irritable that evening; he could scarcely bear the children near him at all. Eddy made a vain attempt to repeat to him the fairy’s song, of which the rhyme had caught the child’s fancy. He and his sister were soon sent up to the nursery; but George, as being older and more quiet, was suffered to remain behind.
Mrs. Ellerslie, with forced cheerfulness, did all that she could to make the heavy time pass pleasantly. She carefully avoided rousing her husband’s temper, and when, without reason, his peevishness broke forth, she bore it without a murmur or complaint, and kept down the tears which struggled to rise. I saw plainly that iron is not the only thing liable to a speck of rust, nor broken-pointed scissors the only articles formed to cut and divide.
Mrs. Ellerslie took up a book, a very amusing volume it was, and read till her voice grew hoarse and faint.
“May I read a little, mother?” said George; “it is good practice for me, you know.”
She placed the book in his hand; but it soon became evident that George was not accustomed to read aloud. He never varied his tone, missed the short words and mispronounced the long, and certainly made a very poor figure as a reader.
“How you drawl! it is a penance to hear you!” cried his father.
“Shall I take the book now?” said Mrs. Ellerslie faintly.
George was flushed. I could see that he felt his father’s taunt. I believe that he would gladly have given up the reading; but his mother’s feeble tone seemed to touch his heart, and still retaining his hold of the volume, he said, “If you please, I would rather try a little longer; I will try to read better, if you will let me.”
“There’s the post!” exclaimed Mrs. Ellerslie, with a start, as the double rap was suddenly heard.