The Cost of Caergwyn Author:Mary Howitt 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: 48 CHAPTER III. The good Silence Evans did not wait at Fridd- bach to welcome home the bride. She set the house in order, churned and baked and boiled, fil... more »led the cupboard shelf, which served as a larder, with provisions ready for the eating, milked the cows that afternoon, and left the milk ready for use, then sorrowfully turned from the door, believing that the good days at Fridd-bach were over, and that her brother who had lived in peace and comfort with the good Mary Jones was now bringing sorrow and repentance into his house with this woman of South Wales. I am afraid that little Laura was disappointed about her present from Llanddarog, and when she saw her good aunt Silence crying, cried to keep her company. Her father told her that the nice new mother he was going to bring her from that pleasant Llanddarog over the water was better than a rabbit, better than all Prees Vaughan's rabbits put together ; that this nice new mother would teach her to knit and to spin and to make candles and to bake, and tobe a woman, in short; whilst she herself would be like sunshine in the dull cottage, and company for her when he was out on the hills cutting turf or looking after the sheep. Nevertheless, Laura was disappointed, and now the ceremonious state of the house looked strange to her. The handsome carved dresser, the history of which in connection with her great- uncle, the old soldier of Fontenoy, her aunt Silence always told her, was rubbed up with more than ordinary care after every bit of crockery ware had been taken down, " for," said Silence mournfully, " those that come next won't set such store by it as we do ! " by which Laura understood that her new step-mother was meant. Everything throughout the house was cleaned and put orderly into its place again ; a little heap...« less