Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/196

 immediately at the least intimation of her pleasure, and speak of it as if it was his own desire, and in a manner force her to comply with it, in appearance, against her will; she then threw herself out of humour, and contrived all manner of ways to plague him; and when she saw him in agonies at her frowns, she often said things to him I really would not say to the greatest enemy I had in the world. But I must take shame to myself, and own a weakness which you perhaps will condemn me for; but I could not help being sometimes a little pleased at feeling my father teazed by the woman he himself suffered to be so great a curse to me and Valentine." Here David sighed, and looked down, not answering one word; for he could not approve, and he would not condemn her. Camilla observed him, and hastened to take him out of that perplexity she saw him in, by turning again to the brighter side of her own character; and went on as follows: "But then she carried this on to so great a degree, that the misery I saw my once fond father in, raised all my tenderness for him; the comparison between her behaviour, and that of my dear mother (who made it the business of her life to please him) and my own, who watched his very looks, and carefully obeyed their motions, with various senses which formerly had passed, rushed at once into my memory, and I often left the room with tears in my eyes. "She knew so well the bent of his temper, and how far she might venture, that she would carry it exactly as far as he could bear. But when she found he began to grow warm, and retort her ill-nature, she could at once turn from a devil into an angel. This sudden change of the mind, from pain to pleasure, had always such an effect on him, that he in a moment forgot all she had said or done to hurt him, and thought of nothing but her present