They would not dare. God would not
permit it. Some one will stop them."
"There is no one to stop them. The people are all against us. They are
glad of it. They are laughing. Oh! how I hate them. Why don't God kill
them?" and with a prolonged, inarticulate roar of impotent grief and
indignation, the boy threw himself flat on the floor, and burying his
face in his arms sobbed and rolled, and rolled and sobbed, like one in
a fit.
"I will go and have speech with this Son of Belial, Hamlin. It may be
the Lord will give me strength to prevail with him," said Mrs.
Edwards. "And if not, they shall not put me from my husband. I will
bear the stripes with him, that he may never be ashamed before the
wife of his bosom," and with a calm and self-controlled demeanor, she
bestirred herself to make ready to go out.
"Let me go mother," said Desire, half hesitatingly.
"It is not your place my child. I am his wife," replied Mrs. Edwards.
"Yes mother, but Desire's so pretty, and this Hamlin fellow stopped
the horse-fiddles just to please her, the other time," whimpered
Jonathan. "Perhaps he'd let father off if she went. Do let her go
mother."
The allusion to the stopping of the horse-fiddle was Greek to Mrs.
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