As soon as her expressions of joy had begun to subside Maurice said to her very seriously:—“I have one favour to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“That when you get tired of Cressida you will not throw it aside, or give it to the first person who comes in the way, without knowing whether it is taken care of or not. The favour I ask is that you will just think of it, and care for it a little sometimes, even after it no longer amuses you.”
“Oh, yes, that I certainly will,” said Adrienne. “I’ll keep it myself as long as it’s in good condition; that is, till I break it, I mean; and when I have quite done with it, I won’t be so cruel as to throw it away, or give it to the first who asks me. No, you may be quite easy about that: I’ll tell you what I’ll do. When it’s broken, I’ll make it a present to the children of my nurse. They are great fat country children, with cheeks like rosy apples; but oh, so stupid! and not difficult to please, I assure you. If Cressida has lost two or three of its legs they will admire it all the same, and it will amuse them immensely.”
This picture of the probable future in store for the little horse was not calculated to comfort Maurice, whatever it was meant to do. Indeed he felt very much inclined to be off the bargain, and tears began to trickle down his cheeks.
If the actors in this scene had not been so engrossed with the matter they were discussing, they would certainly have noticed a rather old gentleman, who was walking up and down, with his hands behind him, at a few paces from where they stood, and who was evidently listening to all they said. At this moment, when Maurice was looking very unhappy—for his delight at helping this poor family did not prevent his feeling a sort of horror to think that Fritz’s wonderful mechanical work should pass into such bad hands,—just at this moment, the old gentleman came straight up to them, and spoke to Maurice.
What he said to Maurice, and what he did, are too important to the course of this story to come in at the end of a chapter; and I will reserve them for the beginning of the next. But I do not mind letting my little readers know at once that Adrienne did not have the horse after all.
PUZZLE-PAGE.
Here are six objects for you to find out, children; one begins with D, one with G, one with L, one with N, one with P, and one with Y.