Marguerite (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1890. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXIII. THE NEXT DAY. Nannie was too much excited to fall asleep easily, and when she did it was to dream of the beautiful things which had been described by Marguerite, and which she was vainly trying to bring back to her, while her sister seemed drifting farther and farther away. Such sleep was not very refreshing, and when at last she heard her father moving in the kitchen, she felt more tired than when she went to bed the previous night, and thought what a luxury it would be to stay where she was a few hours, with no care for anything. But such self-indulgence was not for her, and dressing herself, she went down-stairs, and opening the doors and windows, let in the fresh morning air, which did her good and brought back the color to her cheeks, and the courage to her heart. "It is perfectly natural that Marguerite should feel as she does. I should do the same in her place," she said, as she busied herself with the breakfast, which she tried to make as tempting as possible. "I can't do as they did in Paris, and Rome, and New York, with so many servants and everything, but I'll give her the very best we have, and wait upon her the very best I can;" and so she laid the table with the snowdrop cloth and the best stone china and silver forks, with flowers in the centre, just as she had done the night before, and thought, as she looked out upon the trees and dewy grass, and inhaled the perfume of the roses and heliotrope and pinks, that the country was surely fairer and sweeter than the town, and that Marguerite must think so, too, after she was more accustomed to it. She had not yet heard her moving, and when the strawberries were picked over, and the muffins were in the oven, she remembered suddenly the hot water her sister had asked for and took it up at ...