17 Jun And what do you suppose the master will think when I display it before him?
“So,” I exclaimed, “Miss Catherine, you are tolerably far on, it seems: you ed of them! A fine bundle of trash you study in your leisure hours, to be sure: why, its good enough to be printed! I havnt shown it yet, but you neednt imagine I shall keep your ridiculous secrets. For shame! and you must have led the way in writing such absurdities: he would not have thought of beginning, Im certain.”
“Loving!” cried I, as scornfully as I could utter the word. “Loving! Did anybody ever hear the like! I might just as well talk of loving the miller who comes once a year to buy our corn. Pretty loving, indeed! and both times together you have seen Linton hardly four hours in your life! Now here is the babyish trash. Im going with it to the library; and well see what your father says to such loving.”
She sprang at her precious epistles, but I held them above my head; and then she poured out further frantic entreaties that I would burn them-do anything rather than show them. And being really fully as much inclined to laugh as scold-for I esteemed it all girlish vanity-I at length relented in a measure, and asked,-“If I consent to burn them, will you promise faithfully neither to send nor receive a letter again, nor a book (for I perceive you have sent him books), nor locks of hair, nor rings, nor playthings?”
But when I proceeded to open a place with the poker the sacrifice was too painful to be borne. She earnestly supplicated that I would spare her one or two.
“I will have one, you cruel wretch!” she screamed, darting her hand into the fire, and drawing forth some half-consumed fragments, at the expense of her fingers.