Howells, William Dean, 1837-1920 / 2008-06-26 00:00:00

EBOOK, THE MINISTER'S CHARGE ***


Anne Folland, Eric Eldred, Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team

THE MINISTER'S CHARGE
OR
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF LEMUEL BARKER
BY
WILLIAM D. HOWELLS
AUTHOR OF "THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM," "A MODERN INSTANCE," "INDIAN
SUMMER," ETC.


THE MINISTER'S CHARGE;
OR, THE APPRENTICESHIP OF LEMUEL BARKER.


I.

On their way back to the farm-house where they were boarding, Sewell's
wife reproached him for what she called his recklessness. "You had no
right," she said, "to give the poor boy false hopes. You ought to have
discouraged him--that would have been the most merciful way--if you
knew the poetry was bad. Now, he will go on building all sorts of
castles in the air on your praise, and sooner or later they will come
tumbling about his ears--just to gratify your passion for saying
pleasant things to people."
"I wish you had a passion for saying pleasant things to me, my dear,"
suggested her husband evasively.
"Oh, a nice time I should have!"
"I don't know about _your_ nice time, but I feel pretty certain
of my own. How do you know--Oh, _do_ get up, you implacable
cripple!" he broke off to the lame mare he was driving, and pulled
at the reins.
"Don't saw her mouth!" cried Mrs. Sewell.
"Well, let her get up, then, and I won't.
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