beautiful girls presented arms to him, and became the General’s lady, and in
time they had a pretty, charming child, that seemed as if it had dropped
from heaven, it was so pretty; and the porter’s son danced before it in the
courtyard, as soon as it could understand it, and gave her all his colored
pictures, and little Emily looked at them, and was pleased, and tore them to
pieces. She was pretty and delicate indeed.
“My little Roseleaf!” cried the General’s lady, “thou art born to wed a
prince.”
The prince was already at the door, but they knew nothing of it; people
don’t see far beyond the threshold.
“The day before yesterday our boy divided his bread and butter with
her!” said the porter’s wife. There was neither cheese nor meat upon it, but
she liked it as well as if it had been roast beef. There would have been a fine
noise if the General and his wife had seen the feast, but they did not see it.
George had divided his bread and butter with little Emily, and he would
have divided his heart with her, if it would have pleased her. He was a good
boy, brisk and clever, and he went to the night school in the Academy now,
to learn to draw properly. Little Emily was getting on with her education
too, for she spoke French with her “bonne,” and had a dancing master.
“George will be confirmed at Easter,” said the porter’s wife; for George
had got so far as this.
“It would be the best thing, now, to make an apprentice of him,” said his
father. “It must be to some good calling-and then he would be out of the
house.”
“He would have to sleep out of the house,” said George’s mother. “It is
not easy to find a master who has room for him at night, and we shall have
to provide him with clothes too. The little bit of eating that he wants can be
managed for him, for he’s quite happy with a few boiled potatoes; and he
gets taught for nothing. Let the boy go his own way. You will say that he
will be our joy some day, and the Professor says so too.”
