Page:Cerise, a tale of the last century (IA cerisetaleoflast00whytrich).pdf/19

 will of his own. His figure, though as yet unformed, was lithe, erect, and active, while his noble bearing denoted self-reliance beyond his years, and a reckless, confident disposition, such as a true pedagogue would have longed and failed to check with the high hand of coercion. In a few minutes he had collected daisies enough to fill his laced hat to the rims, and flinging himself on the turf, began stringing them together with his strong, well-shaped, sunburnt fingers. The little girl, much consoled, had reseated herself as before. It was delightful to see the chain thus lengthening by fathoms at a time, and this new friend seemed to enter heart and soul into the important work. Active sympathy soon finds its way to a child's heart; she nestled up to his side, and shaking her curls back, looked confidingly in his face.

"I like you," said the little woman, honestly, and without reserve. "You are good—you are polite—you make daisy-chains as well as mamma. My name's Cerise. What's your name?"

The page smiled, and with the smile his whole countenance grew handsome. In repose, his face was simply that of a well-looking youth enough, with a bold, saucy expression and hardy sunburned features; but when he smiled, a physiognomist watching the change would have pronounced, "That boy must be like his mother, and his mother must have been beautiful!"

"Cerise," repeated the lad. "What a pretty name! Mine is not a pretty name. Boys don't have pretty names. My name's George—George Hamilton. You mustn't call me Hamilton. I am never called anything but George at Court. I'm not big enough to be a soldier yet, but I am page to Louis le Grand!"

The child opened her eyes very wide, and stared over her new friend's head at a gentleman who was listening attentively to their conversation, with his hat in his hand, and an expression of considerable amusement pervading his old, worn, melancholy face.

This gentleman had stolen round the corner of the alley, treading softly on the turf, and might have been watching the children for some minutes unperceived. He was a small, shrunken, but well-made person, with a symmetrical leg