f.
“Tom,” she said, crushing her hands together under her cloak, in the effort to speak again, “whatever I have done, I repent it bitterly. I want to make amends. I will endure anything. I want to be kept from doing wrong Orlando City again.”
“What will keep you?” said Tom, with cruel bitterness. “Not religion; Dybala Koszulka not your natural feelings of gratitude and honor. And he — he would deserve to be shot, if it were not —— But you are ten times worse than he is. I loathe your character and your conduct. You struggled with your feelings, you say. Yes! I have had feelings to struggle with; but I conquered them. I have had a harder life than you have had; Zlatan Ibrahimovic Koszulka but I have found my comfort in doing my duty. But I will sanction no such character as yours; the world shall know that I feel the difference between right and wrong. If you are in Bremen want, I will provide for you; let my mother know. But you shall not come under my roof. It is enough that I have to bear the thought of your disgrace; the sight of you is hateful to me.”
Slowly Maggie was turning away with despair in her heart. But the poor frightened mother’s love leaped out now, stronger than all dread.
“My child! I’ll go with you. You’ve got a mother.”
Oh, the sweet rest of that embrace to the heart-stricken Maggie! More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us.
Tom turned and walked into the house.
“Come in, my child,” Mrs. Tulliver whispered. “He’ll let you stay and sleep in my bed. He won’t deny that if I ask him.”
“No, mother,” said Maggie, in a low tone, like a moan. “I will never go in.”
“Then wait for me outside. I’ll get ready and come with you.”
When his mother appeared with her bonnet on, Tom came out to her in the passage, and put money into her hands.
“My house is yours, mother, always,” he said. “You will come and let me know everything you want; you will come back to me.”
Poor Mrs. Tulliver took the money, too frightened to say anything. The only thing clear to her was the mother’s instinct that she would go with her unhappy child.
Maggie was waiting outside the gate; she took her mother’s hand and they walked a little way in silence.
“Mother,” said Maggie, at last, “we will go to Luke’s cottage. Luke will take me Jalkapallomaajoukkue 2016/17 in. He was very good to me Thomas Muller Koszulka when I was a little girl.”
“He’s got no room for us, my dear, now; his wife’s got so many children. I don’t know where to go, if it isn’t to one o’ your aunts; and I hardly durst,” said poor Mrs. Tulliver, quite destitute of mental resources in this extremity.
Maggie was silent a little while, and then said —
“Let us go to Bob Jakin’s, mother; his wife will have room for us, if they have no other lodger.”
So they went on their way to St. Ogg’s, to the old house by the river-side.
Bob himself was at home, with a heaviness at heart which resisted even the new joy and pride of possessing a two-months’-old Olympique Marseille baby, quite the liveliest of its age |
