The Waverley Novels

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. How steadfastly he fix'd his eyes on i His dark eyes shining through forgotten i-ars? Then streteh'd his little arms and call'd me mother ! What could 1 do 1 I took the bantling home? I could not tell the imp he had no mother. Court BcaU. When Warden h'ad left the apartment, the Lady of Avenel gave way to the feelings of tenderness which the sight of the boy, his sudden danger, and his recent escape, had inspired; arid no longer awed by the sternness, as she deemed it, of the preacher, heaped with caresses fbe lovely and interesting child. He was now, in some measure, recovered from the consequences of his accident, and received passively, though not without wonder, the tokens of kindness with which he was thus loaded. The face of the lady was strange to him, aird her dresS different and far more sumptuous than atiy he remembered. But the boy was naturally of an undaunted temper; and indeed children are generally acute physiognomists, and not only pleased by that which is beautiful in itself, but peculiarly quick in distinguishing and replying to the attentions of those who really love them. If they see a person in company, though a perfect stranger, who is by nature fond of children, the little imps seem to discover it by a sort of free-masonry, while the awkward attempts of those who make advances to them for the purpose of recommending themselves to the parents, usually fail m attracting their reciprocal attention. The little boy, therefore, appeared in some degree sertsible df theMdyrs caresses, and it was with difficulty she withdrew herself from his pillow, to afford him leisure for necessary repose. 2 Vol. i. To whom belongs our little rescued varlet ? was the first question which the Lady of Avenel put to her handmaiden Lilias, when they had r...