Page:All the Year Round - Series 3 - Volume 2.pdf/615



‘Charlee Dickens, THE ROMANCE OF A VEGETABLE. (necembor », 182) 605

There seemed to his attentive cars a| hand for » long time. Let me be your change in her footetep ss she entered. | right hand.”

Hoel was ing dows on the sofa, covered} “Do you mean it t-not now, only, but with rage. head had begun to ache | always?” he eaid, hardly able to bear this

ttre weno ahedod, ia ” hispered, hiding her was 8 ip put near to] * Alway she whi 1g face on mee always, ‘tit death part us.

the invalid, and, sitting up, he saw Elva

coming softly towards He thought | us.

at that moment she was the moat beautiful| He jumped up now, nothing could keep him there. He stood up to fall bags and put his left arm round her, so that

head lay on his shoulder, and he kissed

ee

“Do you really mean itt Say it again,

Elva, say, ‘Hoel, I love you’” Ss « Hoel, I love you.” And she added:

“My hero,”

wertlow good of ” he said,

w on 1” i to speak on urnal, thongh ibe mal, trying to little. “I expect Dr. Pink will turn ap soon, and then I may be exiled spas. I wanted to thank you for all you did this afternoon.”

Elva sat down in a chair close by ; her limbs trembled ; and she looked away.

“Don’t thank me,” she said, to apeak fiymly. ‘I was so—so afraid for you, that I was obli; to come on, I

THE ROMANCE OF A VEGETABLE

Tare used to be s popular scrostic in the days of our youth, the foundation of which is the subject of much speculation, Tt turned upon two lines of Scott's famous poem, and ran thus:

On Sor cee ‘Were the last words of Marmion.

maersile, ca if 2 wore my Salk And instead of that-—I—— Mr, Fenner, may I say something? I never believed in you enough, I know now that a critic can be a hero as well.”

El in in » half way; she i eee Ce ane oy inins way; she eee ee eee Pe aoe;

Wi A then would all espy, ac bringea tar to every oye” ‘The answer is “Onion,” and the tion which resulta is: Why does a raw

The Greeks, being aware of this charac- teristic, called the onion “kromuon ;” and when they ate it raw, they prudently

Shakespeare lay in the “Taming

‘6 8 of the Shrew,” kuow all sboat it

ring. Hoel’s heart beat high now; but he was woman he loved.
 * Very anxious to he truly just towards the

“You mustn’t think that a mere thing like that makes difference. Remember, Tm the same Hoel whom you were doubt- fal about coming for rere

‘No, you are not,” ssid Elva, slipping down, and kneeling by the sofa; “you are infinitely Apes, nobler man than I fancied. —will you forgive me for

having doubted it ¥” va gi Hoel forgot all about his {a oulon wil do wel for such a sit seer cee hte hed oul bis left tana echt toi i ta : (en:
 * bay

offer, and this very act exhibiting his un- asual state of beiplosinens, touched the woman's heart, cel, before this, had wanted just that touch of helplessness

‘Mine eyes smell onions, I shall weep anon.

fascinates s woman.

+ Don’t move,” she said, taking his hand

in both hers with the tenderness of «| genus

mother, “I won't allow it, I wanted only to say one thing.”

‘Hoel looked at her now; there was no

wha!” he said, hoarsely; all the tamult and the excitement of the afternoon seemed to return tenfold. �