His soul had not added a cubit to its
stature in sunshine, gayety, and prosperity; it took the shock of grief, hurt
pride, solitude, and remorse to make a man of John Hathaway.
III
Divers Doctrines
It was a radiant July morning in Albion village, and when Sue first beheld it
from the bedroom window at the Shaker Settlement, she had wished ardently that
it might never, never grow dark, and that Jack and Fardie might be having the
very same sunshine in Farnham. It was not noon yet, but experience had in some
way tempered the completeness of her joy, for the marks of tears were on her
pretty little face. She had neither been scolded nor punished, but she had
been dragged away from a delicious play without any adequate reason. She had
disappeared after breakfast, while Susanna was helping Sister Tabitha with the
beds and the dishes, but as she was the most docile of children, her mother
never thought of anxiety. At nine o'clock Eldress Abby took Susanna to the
laundry house, and there under a spreading maple were Sue and the two youngest
little Shakeresses, children of seven and eight respectively. Sue was
directing the plays: chattering, planning, ordering, and suggesting expedients
to her slower-minded and less experienced companions.
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