The sight of her cousin's grief and self-abasement touched the tender
heart of Catharine, for she was kind and dove-like in her disposition,
and loved Louis, with all his faults. Had it not been for the painful
consciousness of the grief their unusual absence would occasion at home,
Catharine would have thought nothing of their present adventure; but she
could not endure the idea of her high-principled father taxing her with
deceiving her kind indulgent mother and him: it was this humiliating
thought which wounded the proud heart of Hector, causing him to upbraid his
cousin in somewhat harsh terms for his want of truthfulness, and steeled
him against the bitter grief that wrung the heart of the penitent Louis,
who, leaning his wet cheek on the shoulder of the kinder Catharine,
sobbed as if his heart would break, heedless of her soothing words and
affectionate endeavours to console him.
"Dear Hector," she said, turning her soft, pleading eyes on the stem face
of her brother, "you must not be so very angry with poor Louis; remember it
was to please me, and give me the enjoyment of a day of liberty with you
and himself in the woods, among the flowers and trees and birds, that he
committed this fault.
Pages:
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40