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Through a needle's eye. By Hesba Stretton
Through a needle's eye By Hesba Stretton Author:Sarah Smith 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: him to discover how active had been his anticipations of supplanting his half-brother; yet what freedom there would have been in it for himself! How well he coul... more »d have filled the offices of owner and master, squire and magistrate ! Richard would do mischief in each of these positions—Richard the ignorant, reckless spendthrift, as selfish as his father, with low habits bordering on vices. Justin had always despised Richard while he envied him. He had continually drawn comparisons between them, and in all these comparisons his own character and conduct stood out well; yet Richard was to be master of Herford ! At last Justin roused himself from his long reverie, stood up shivering, and lifted his soft cap from his head to let the keen sea-breeze cool his throbbing temples. The thoughts that had passed through his mind he could utter to no man; and he must guard himself against entertaining them again, even as passing guests. It was a poor man's life he was going back to, doomed to it for the remainder of his days ; for if Richard came into unconditional possession it was little help his mother would get from her younger son, and she would become an additionalburden upon him. Two hundred a year was the full value of his little living. Poverty had not yet looked in through his window, for old Richard Herford's pride would not have brooked the idea of any one belonging to him being in low condition; but now Richard was master, he would spend all on himself in riotous living. His step-father's last coherent words haunted him as he retraced his way homewards : " Justin has always been a good son to me; I wish I'd done something for him, but it's too late now." CHAPTER IV. PANSY. JUSTIN'S vicarage was built in the shadow of the church—a small, low house, not much better than th...« less