"MacDONALD, George - The Wow O' Riven aka The Bell" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonald George)

The Wow O' Rivven
By George MacDonald

ELSIE SCOTT had let her work fall on her knees, and her hands on her work, and
was looking out of the wide, low window of her room, which was on one of the
ground floors of the village street. Through a gap in the household shrubbery of
fuchsias and myrtles filling the window-sill, one passing on the foot pavement
might get a momentary glimpse of her pale face, lighted up with two blue eyes,
over which some inward trouble had spread a faint, gauze-like haziness. But
almost before her thoughts had had time to wander back to this trouble, a shout
of children's voices, at the other end of the street, reached her ear. She
listened a moment. A shadow of displeasure and pain crossed her countenance; and
rising hastily, she betook herself to an inner apartment, and closed the door
behind her.
Meantime the sounds drew nearer; and by and by an old man, whose strange
appearance and dress showed that he had little capacity either for good or evil,
passed the window. His clothes were comfortable enough in quality and condition,
for they were the annual gift of a benevolent lady in the neighbourhood; but,
being made to accommodate his taste, both known and traditional, they were
somewhat peculiar in cut and adornment. Both coat and trousers were of a dark
grey cloth; but the former, which, in its shape, partook of the military, had a
straight collar of yellow, and narrow cuffs of the same; while upon both
sleeves, about the place where a corporal wears his stripes, was expressed, in
the same yellow cloth, a somewhat singular device. It was as close an imitation
of a bell, with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, as the tailor's skill could
produce from a single piece of cloth. The origin of the military cut of his coat
was well known. His preference for it arose in the time of the wars of the first
Napoleon, when the threatened invasion of the country caused the organisation of
many volunteer regiments. The martial show and exercises captivated the poor
man's fancy; and from that time forward nothing pleased his vanity, and
consequently conciliated his goodwill more, than to style him by his favourite
title-the Colonel. But the badge on his arm had a deeper origin, which will be
partially manifest in the course of the story-if story it can be called. It was,
indeed, the baptism of the fool, the outward and visible sign of his relation to
the infinite and unseen. His countenance, however, although the features were
not of any peculiarly low or animal type, showed no corresponding sign of the
consciousness of such a relation, being as vacant as human countenance could
well be.
The cause of Elsie's annoyance was that the fool was annoyed; he was followed by
a troop of boys, who turned his rank into scorn, and assailed him with epithets
hateful to him. Although the most harmless of creatures when left alone, he was
dangerous when roused; and now he stooped repeatedly to pick up stones and hurl
them at his tormentors, who took care, while abusing him, to keep at a
considerable distance, lest he should get hold of them. Amidst the sounds of
derision that followed him, might be heard the words frequently repeated-"Come
hame, come hame." But in a few minutes the noise ceased, either from the
interference of some friendly inhabitant, or that the boys grew weary, and
departed in search of other amusement. By and by, Elsie might be seen again at
her work in the window; but the cloud over her eyes was deeper, and her whole