Toddie clutched it, his whole face lighting
up with affectionate delight, and he screamed:--
"Oh, dare is my dee dolly: tum to your own papa, dolly, an' I'll
love you."
And that ridiculous child was so completely satisfied by his
outlay of affection that my own indignation gave place to genuine
artistic pleasure. One CAN tire of even beautiful pictures,
though, when he is not fully awake, and is holding a candle in a
draught of air; so I covered my nephews and returned to my own
room, where I mused upon the contradictoriness of childhood until
I fell asleep.
In the morning I was awakened very early by the light streaming in
the window, the blinds of which I had left open the night before.
The air was alive with bird-songs, and the eastern sky was
flushing with tints which no painter's canvas ever caught. But
ante-sunrise skies and songs are not fit subjects for the
continued contemplation of men who read until midnight; so I
hastily closed the blinds, drew the shade, dropped the curtains
and lay down again, dreamily thanking heaven that I was to fall
asleep to such exquisite music. I am sure that I mentally forgave
all my enemies as I dropped off into a most delicious doze, but
the sudden realization that a light hand was passing over my cheek
roused me to savage anger in an instant.
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