Moral Tales Author:Maria Edgeworth Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE KNAPSACK. ACT I. SCENE I.—A Cottage in Sweden—Cathebine, a young and handsome woman, is sitting at her spinning-wheel.—A little Soy and Girl, of six an... more »d seven years of age, are seated on the around eating their dinner. Cathebine sings while she is spinning. Haste fron the wars, oh, haste to me, The wife that fondly waits for thee; Long, long the years, and long each day, While my loved soldier's far away. Hastetfrom the wars, andc. Lone every field, and lone this cot, Where he, the soul of life, is not. Haste from the wars, andc. Dreams of wounds and death away! Vain my fears—oh, vain be they ! He's well—he's safe—he'll come, he'll come. Make ready quick his happy home. Little Girl (starts up and clasps her hands]. He'll come ! he'll come ! Father do you mean, mother ? Little Boy. When will he come, mother ? when,—to-day ? to-morrow ? Cath. No, not to-day, nor to-morrow; but soon I hope, very soon, for they say the wars are over. Little Girl. I am glad of that; and when father comes home, I'll give him some of my flowers. Little Boy (who is still eating]. And I'll give him some of my bread and cheese, which he'll like better than flowers if he be as hungry as I am, and that, to be sure, he will be, after coming from such a long, long journey. were relieved at every stage ; and thus the property of the deceased was conveyed from one extremity of the kingdom to the other, and faithfully restored to their relations. The Swedish peasants are so remarkably honest, that scarcely anything is ever lost in these convoys of numerous and ill-secured packages. Little Girl. Long, long journey ! how long ?—how far is father off, mother ?—where is he ? Little Boy. I know ; he is in—in—in—in—in Finland ; how far off, mother ? Cath. A great...« less