登陆注册
14820400000052

第52章

"There is more truth than you think, in your pretty fancy, Harry,"rejoined Hugh, and was silent--self-rebuked; for the memory of David came back upon him, recalled by the words of the boy; of David, whom he loved and honoured with the best powers of his nature, and whom yet he had neglected and seemed to forget; nay, whom he had partially forgotten--he could not deny. The old man, whose thoughts were just those of a wise child, had said to him once:

"We ken no more, Maister Sutherlan', what we're growin' till, than that neep-seed there kens what a neep is, though a neep it will be.

The only odds is, that we ken that we dinna ken, and the neep-seed kens nothing at all aboot it. But ae thing, Maister Sutherlan', we may be sure o': that, whatever it be, it will be worth God's makin' an' our growin'."

A solemn stillness fell upon Hugh's spirit, as he recalled these words; out of which stillness, I presume, grew the little parable which follows; though Hugh, after he had learned far more about the things therein hinted at, could never understand how it was, that he could have put so much more into it, than he seemed to have understood at that period of his history.

For Harry said:

"Wouldn't this be a nice place for a story, Mr. Sutherland? Do you ever tell stories, sir?""I was just thinking of one, Harry; but it is as much yours as mine, for you sowed the seed of the story in my mind.""Do you mean a story that never was in a book--a story out of your own head? Oh! that will be grand!""Wait till we see what it will be, Harry; for I can't tell you how it will turn out."After a little further pause, Hugh began:

"Long, long ago, two seeds lay beside each other in the earth, waiting. It was cold, and rather wearisome; and, to beguile the time, the one found means to speak to the other.

"'What are you going to be?' said the one.

"'I don't know,' answered the other.

"'For me,' rejoined the first, 'I mean to be a rose. There is nothing like a splendid rose. Everybody will love me then!'

"'It's all right,' whispered the second; and that was all he could say; for somehow when he had said that, he felt as if all the words in the world were used up. So they were silent again for a day or two.

"'Oh, dear!' cried the first, 'I have had some water. I never knew till it was inside me. I'm growing! I'm growing! Good-bye!'

"'Good-bye!' repeated the other, and lay still; and waited more than ever.

"The first grew and grew, pushing itself straight up, till at last it felt that it was in the open air, for it could breathe. And what a delicious breath that was! It was rather cold, but so refreshing.

The flower could see nothing, for it was not quite a flower yet, only a plant; and they never see till their eyes come, that is, till they open their blossoms--then they are flowers quite. So it grew and grew, and kept its head up very steadily, meaning to see the sky the first thing, and leave the earth quite behind as well as beneath it. But somehow or other, though why it could not tell, it felt very much inclined to cry. At length it opened its eye. It was morning, and the sky was over its head; but, alas! itself was no rose--only a tiny white flower. It felt yet more inclined to hang down its head and to cry; but it still resisted, and tried hard to open its eye wide, and to hold its head upright, and to look full at the sky.

"'I will be a star of Bethlehem at least!' said the flower to itself.

"But its head felt very heavy; and a cold wind rushed over it, and bowed it down towards the earth. And the flower saw that the time of the singing of birds was not come, that the snow covered the whole land, and that there was not a single flower in sight but itself. And it half-closed its leaves in terror and the dismay of loneliness. But that instant it remembered what the other flower used to say; and it said to itself: 'It's all right; I will be what I can.' And thereon it yielded to the wind, drooped its head to the earth, and looked no more on the sky, but on the snow. And straightway the wind stopped, and the cold died away, and the snow sparkled like pearls and diamonds; and the flower knew that it was the holding of its head up that had hurt it so; for that its body came of the snow, and that its name was Snow-drop. And so it said once more, 'It's all right!' and waited in perfect peace. All the rest it needed was to hang its head after its nature.""And what became of the other?" asked Harry.

"I haven't done with this one yet," answered Hugh. "I only told you it was waiting. One day a pale, sad-looking girl, with thin face, large eyes, and long white hands, came, hanging her head like the snowdrop, along the snow where the flower grew. She spied it, smiled joyously, and saying, 'Ah! my little sister, are you come?' stooped and plucked the snowdrop. It trembled and died in her hand;which was a heavenly death for a snowdrop; for had it not cast a gleam of summer, pale as it had been itself, upon the heart of a sick girl?""And the other?" repeated Harry.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 萌萌巧巧甜心爱

    萌萌巧巧甜心爱

    巧巧一家搬了两次家,第二次搬到了乐忧小区,在那里认识了邻居林墨一家,从那之后,巧巧天天黏着林墨,而巧巧父母和林墨父母也不阻止。直到某天,巧巧父母察觉到,但时间已晚,自家女儿已被拐走。呵呵呵→_→
  • 祈愿安好

    祈愿安好

    叶婴因为赵尘的离开再度封闭了自己的心,经历了两次的生死后,独自旅行,最终来到了凉安为她打造的家园。凉安因为对叶婴的爱从黑暗步入了阳光之下,在死门关徘徊时因为叶婴的一句我等你而苏醒。
  • 绝世风华:公主陛下争影后

    绝世风华:公主陛下争影后

    她乃一国公主,不料被人陷害,坠入现代。变成一介身份不明的孤儿,这老天逗人呢?还好不要紧,外加了一个天神般的男人,外加无敌技能,外加无敌神助攻好友……立志登上影后宝座,迎娶人生中的高富帅,走上人生巅峰,然后把他带回古代……哎,似乎越说越偏了~【甜文~时不时小虐,可放心阅读~无抄袭~纯自创】
  • 穿越之逆天废材

    穿越之逆天废材

    片段一:“溪儿,待你长发及腰,嫁于本帝可好?”魔君眼里写满了宠溺与爱意。“不好,本皇只娶不嫁!”凤锦溪睁了睁刚睡醒的眼睛。“那待你长发及腰,你娶本帝可好?”魔帝节操掉了一地。片段二:“魔帝大人,不好了,有人要抢了您的地盘,还扬言要收了您的魔兽军团。”一个手下急急忙忙的跑了进来。“幕后支持者是谁?把他杀了,五马分尸然后做成包子喂狗!”魔君大怒“可……可幕后之人是魔后。”手下满手冷汗,魔君大人太吓人了。“那还愣着干什么?还不快打包给魔后送去?这点小事还用问我吗?”手下差点晕了,同样是来惹事的,为毛差别这么大?“对了,听说溪儿还喜欢我身边的灵兽浴血凤凰,也一起送去把!”彭!手下晕倒了。
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 阴阳代理人之天眼灵师

    阴阳代理人之天眼灵师

    执神毫,画阴符,开天眼,镇鬼神,掌生死,断乾坤!代理阴阳,天眼灵师。
  • 天定之师

    天定之师

    天师骄子,纵横异界~打怪练武,发展领地~美女环绕,争霸天下~
  • 陵墓之敌

    陵墓之敌

    自古帝王将相都有陵墓,无论是哪一个陵墓都会有一个最大的敌人,那就是我们——盗墓者。
  • 灵法王朝

    灵法王朝

    没有什么不可能,资质不一定要很好,只要足够幸运,面前的一切不算什么!不为强敌,勇敢杀敌,遇魔杀魔,遇兽杀兽,成为最强的魔法师,经历最残酷的战斗!
  • 天锋弑羽

    天锋弑羽

    传说中,弑羽是飘落宇宙中各个地方的一个神秘的羽毛,所到之处无一不发生了大灾难,有的因此毁灭,而有的因此涅槃!终于有一天它降临地球……