The white
cape and sun-bonnet gave her face a nun-like character, which set
her apart, in the thoughts of "the world's people" whom she met, as
one sanctified for some holy work. She might have gone around the
world, repelling every rude word, every bold glance, by the
protecting atmosphere of purity and truth which inclosed her.
The days went by, each bringing some new blossom to adorn and
illustrate the joint studies of the young man and maiden. For
Richard Hilton had soon mastered the elements of botany, as taught
by Priscilla Wakefield,--the only source of Asenath's knowledge,--
and entered, with her, upon the text-book of Gray, a copy of which
he procured from Philadelphia. Yet, though he had overtaken her in
his knowledge of the technicalities of the science, her practical
acquaintance with plants and their habits left her still his
superior. Day by day, exploring the meadows, the woods, and the
clearings, he brought home his discoveries to enjoy her aid in
classifying and assigning them to their true places. Asenath had
generally an hour or two of leisure from domestic duties in the
afternoons, or after the early supper of summer was over; and
sometimes, on "Seventh-days," she would be his guide to some
locality where the rarer plants were known to exist.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340