In the silence that followed Mrs. Trevarthen fixed her bright beady eyes steadily on Hester. "You've driven forth my son from me," she said at length, "and you're driving forth my lodger, and there's nobbut the almshouse left. Never a day's worry has my son Tom given to me, and never a ha'p'orth o' harm have we done to you. A foreigner you are and a stranger; the lad made me promise not to curse 'ee, and I won't. But get out of my sight, and the Lord deliver us from temptation!—Amen."
Poor Mr. Benny, who had written half a dozen enthusiastic verses on the opening of the new school, crushed them down in his pocket. He had been so proud of them, too!
They ran—
"This morning the weather was wreathèd in smiles.
And we, correspondingly gay,
Assembled together from several miles
To welcome our Opening Day."
"The children were plastic in body and mind.
Their faces and pinafores clean;
And persons scholastic, in accents refined.
With eloquence pointed the scene."
"Blest scene! as its features we fondly recall,
Come let us give thanks to the Lord!
The Parents, the Teacher, the Managers all,
Including the Clerk to the Board!"
"This morning the weather was wreathèd in smiles.
And we, correspondingly gay,
Assembled together from several miles
To welcome our Opening Day."
"The children were plastic in body and mind.
Their faces and pinafores clean;
And persons scholastic, in accents refined.
With eloquence pointed the scene."
"Blest scene! as its features we fondly recall,
Come let us give thanks to the Lord!
The Parents, the Teacher, the Managers all,
Including the Clerk to the Board!"
BOOK III.
CHAPTER XVI.
AUNT BUTSON CLOSES SCHOOL.
Next morning when Hester arrived at the school she found Mr. Sam waiting for her, with Myra, Clem, and a lanky, freckled youth of about sixteen, whom he introduced as Archelaus Libby. She could not help a smile at this odd name, and the young man himself seemed to be conscious of its absurdity. He blushed, held out his hand and withdrew it again, dropped his hat and caught it awkwardly between his knees. Myra (who had made the sign of the cross as Hester entered) stood and regarded him with a cold, contemptuous interest. Her uncle presented the poor fellow with a proprietary wave of the hand, as though he had been a dumb animal recently purchased.