"Ah!" said Moodie more complacently, for his latter tones had
harshness and acidity in them,--"it would gladden my old heart to
witness that. If one thing would make me happier than another, Mr.
Hollingsworth, it would be to see that beautiful lady holding my
little girl by the hand."
"Come along," said Hollingsworth, "and perhaps you may."
After a little more delay on the part of our freakish visitor, they
set forth together, old Moodie keeping a step or two behind
Hollingsworth, so that the latter could not very conveniently look
him in the face. I remained under the tuft of maples, doing my
utmost to draw an inference from the scene that had just passed. In
spite of Hollingsworth's off-hand explanation, it did not strike me
that our strange guest was really beside himself, but only that his
mind needed screwing up, like an instrument long out of tune, the
strings of which have ceased to vibrate smartly and sharply.
Methought it would be profitable for us, projectors of a happy life,
to welcome this old gray shadow, and cherish him as one of us, and
let him creep about our domain, in order that he might be a little
merrier for our sakes, and we, sometimes, a little sadder for his.
Human destinies look ominous without some perceptible intermixture of
the sable or the gray. And then, too, should any of our fraternity
grow feverish with an over-exulting sense of prosperity, it would be
a sort of cooling regimen to slink off into the woods, and spend an
hour, or a day, or as many days as might be requisite to the cure, in
uninterrupted communion with this deplorable old Moodie!
Going homeward to dinner, I had a glimpse of him, behind the trunk of
a tree, gazing earnestly towards a particular window of the farmhouse;
and by and by Priscilla appeared at this window, playfully drawing
along Zenobia, who looked as bright as the very day that was blazing
down upon us, only not, by many degrees, so well advanced towards her
noon.
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