Zoe By: Evelyn Whitaker (1857-1903)
First Page: [Illustration: Cover art] ZOE BY THE AUTHOR OF 'LADDIE,' 'DON,' 'POMONA,' 'BELLE,' 'PHOEBE'S HERO,' 'MISS TOOSEY'S MISSION,' 'TIP CAT,' ETC. [Transcriber's note: The British Library Integrated Catalogue cites Evelyn Whitaker as the author of this book.] LONDON: 38 Soho Square. W.1 W. & R. CHAMBERS, LIMITED EDINBURGH: 339 High Street 1890 [Transcriber's note: The source book had varying page headers. They have been collected at the start of each chapter as an introductory paragraph, and here as the Table of Contents.] CONTENTS CHAPTER I. The Christening An Outlandish Name The Organist's Mistake Farm work Tom and Bill The Baby Baby and All CHAPTER II. Mr Robins Village Choirs Edith An Elopement A Father's Sorrow An Unhappy Pair The Wanderer's Return Father! A Daughter's Entreater No Favourable Answer A Sleepless Pillow CHAPTER III. Something on the Doorstep Bill Gray Is That a Cat? She's Like Mother A Baby's Shoe Jane Restless CHAPTER IV. Village Evidence 'Gray' on the Brain Too Well He Knew Mr Robins and the Baby He Had Not Done Badly CHAPTER V. Jane Hard at Work Clothes for the Baby Jane Returns Jane Singing over her Work Jane's Selfish Absorption For a Poor Person's Child The Organist in Church CHAPTER VI. The Good Baby Mr Robins Comes and Goes A Secret Power Mr Robins Happy A Naughty Tiresome Gal! The Gypsy Child CHAPTER VII. Gray Taken to the Hospital Bill and the Baby Mrs Gray Home Again Edith, Come Home! CHAPTER VIII. Preparation The Room Furnished Mrs Gray at Work The Baby Gone The Gypsy Mother The Gypsy's Story A Foolish Fancy Something Has Happened The Real Baby ZOE. CHAPTER I. The Christening An Outlandish Name The Organist's Mistake Farm work Tom and Bill The Baby Baby and All 'Hath this child been already baptised, or no?' 'No, she ain't; leastwise we don't know as how she 've been or no, so we thought as we 'd best have her done.' The clergyman who was taking Mr Clifford's duty at Downside for that Sunday, thought that this might be the usual undecided way of answering among the natives, and proceeded with the service. There were two other babies also brought that afternoon, one of which was crying lustily, so that it was not easy to hear what the sponsors answered; and, moreover, the officiating clergyman was a young man, and the prospect of holding that screaming, red faced, little object made him too nervous and anxious to get done with it to stop and make further inquiries. The woman who returned this undecided answer was an elderly woman, with a kind, sunburnt, honest face, very much heated just now, and embarrassed too; for the baby in her arms prevented her getting at her pocket handkerchief to wipe the perspiration from her brow and pulling her bonnet on to its proper position on her head. The man beside her was also greatly embarrassed, and kept shuffling his large hob nailed shoes together, and turning his hat round and round in his fingers. I think that really that hat was the chief cause of his discomfort, for he was so accustomed to have it on his head that he could not feel quite himself without it; and, indeed, his wife could hardly recognise him, as she had been accustomed to see him wearing it indoors and out during the twenty years of their married life; pushed back for meals or smoking, but always on his head, except in bed, and even there, report says, on cold winter nights, he had recourse to it to keep off the draught from that cracked pane in the window. His face, like his wife's, was weatherbeaten, and of the same broad, flat type as hers, with small, surprised, dazzled looking, pale blue eyes, and a tangle of grizzled light hair under his chin. He was noticeable for the green smock frock he wore, a garment which is so rapidly disappearing before the march of civilisation, and giving place to the ill cut, ill made coat of shoddy cloth, which is fondly thought to resemble the squire's... Continue reading book >>

Zoe By: Evelyn Whitaker (1857-1903)

First Page:

[Illustration: Cover art]

ZOE

BY THE AUTHOR OF

'LADDIE,' 'DON,' 'POMONA,' 'BELLE,' 'PHOEBE'S HERO,' 'MISS TOOSEY'S MISSION,' 'TIP CAT,' ETC.

[Transcriber's note: The British Library Integrated Catalogue cites Evelyn Whitaker as the author of this book.]

LONDON: 38 Soho Square. W.1

W. & R. CHAMBERS, LIMITED

EDINBURGH: 339 High Street

1890

[Transcriber's note: The source book had varying page headers. They have been collected at the start of each chapter as an introductory paragraph, and here as the Table of Contents.]

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

The Christening An Outlandish Name The Organist's Mistake Farm work Tom and Bill The Baby Baby and All

CHAPTER II.

Mr Robins Village Choirs Edith An Elopement A Father's Sorrow An Unhappy Pair The Wanderer's Return Father! A Daughter's Entreater No Favourable Answer A Sleepless Pillow

CHAPTER III.

Something on the Doorstep Bill Gray Is That a Cat? She's Like Mother A Baby's Shoe Jane Restless

CHAPTER IV.

Village Evidence 'Gray' on the Brain Too Well He Knew Mr Robins and the Baby He Had Not Done Badly

CHAPTER V.

Jane Hard at Work Clothes for the Baby Jane Returns Jane Singing over her Work Jane's Selfish Absorption For a Poor Person's Child The Organist in Church

CHAPTER VI.

The Good Baby Mr Robins Comes and Goes A Secret Power Mr Robins Happy A Naughty Tiresome Gal! The Gypsy Child

CHAPTER VII.

Gray Taken to the Hospital Bill and the Baby Mrs Gray Home Again Edith, Come Home!

CHAPTER VIII.

Preparation The Room Furnished Mrs Gray at Work The Baby Gone The Gypsy Mother The Gypsy's Story A Foolish Fancy Something Has Happened The Real Baby

ZOE.

CHAPTER I.

The Christening An Outlandish Name The Organist's Mistake Farm work Tom and Bill The Baby Baby and All

'Hath this child been already baptised, or no?'

'No, she ain't; leastwise we don't know as how she 've been or no, so we thought as we 'd best have her done.'

The clergyman who was taking Mr Clifford's duty at Downside for that Sunday, thought that this might be the usual undecided way of answering among the natives, and proceeded with the service. There were two other babies also brought that afternoon, one of which was crying lustily, so that it was not easy to hear what the sponsors answered; and, moreover, the officiating clergyman was a young man, and the prospect of holding that screaming, red faced, little object made him too nervous and anxious to get done with it to stop and make further inquiries.

The woman who returned this undecided answer was an elderly woman, with a kind, sunburnt, honest face, very much heated just now, and embarrassed too; for the baby in her arms prevented her getting at her pocket handkerchief to wipe the perspiration from her brow and pulling her bonnet on to its proper position on her head. The man beside her was also greatly embarrassed, and kept shuffling his large hob nailed shoes together, and turning his hat round and round in his fingers.

I think that really that hat was the chief cause of his discomfort, for he was so accustomed to have it on his head that he could not feel quite himself without it; and, indeed, his wife could hardly recognise him, as she had been accustomed to see him wearing it indoors and out during the twenty years of their married life; pushed back for meals or smoking, but always on his head, except in bed, and even there, report says, on cold winter nights, he had recourse to it to keep off the draught from that cracked pane in the window. His face, like his wife's, was weatherbeaten, and of the same broad, flat type as hers, with small, surprised, dazzled looking, pale blue eyes, and a tangle of grizzled light hair under his chin. He was noticeable for the green smock frock he wore, a garment which is so rapidly disappearing before the march of civilisation, and giving place to the ill cut, ill made coat of shoddy cloth, which is fondly thought to resemble the squire's... Continue reading book >>

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