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Minister's Charge or the Apprenticeship of Lemuel Barker
Minister's Charge or the Apprenticeship of Lemuel Barker Author:William Dean Howells 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: III. The silence grew so deep that the young Sewells talked together in murmurs, and the clicking of the knives on the plates became painful. Sewell kept hims... more »elf from looking at Barker, whom he nevertheless knew to be changing his knife and fork from one hand to the other, as doubt after doubt took him as to their conventional use, and to be getting very little good of his dinner in the process of settling these questions. The door-bell rang, and the sound of a whispered conference between the visitor and the servant at the threshold penetrated to the dining-room. Some one softly entered, and then Mrs. Sewell called out, " Yes, yes! Come in! Come in, Miss Vane !" She jumped from her chair and ran out into the hall, where she was heard to kiss her visitor; she reappeared, still holding her by the hand, and then Miss Vane shook hands with Sewell, saying in a tone of cordial liking, How d'ye do?" and to each of the young people as she shook hands in turn with them, " How d'ye do, dear 1" She was no longer so pretty as she must have once been; but an air of distinction and a delicate charmof manner remained to her from her fascinating youth. Young Sewell pushed her a chair to the table, and she dropped softly into it, after acknowledging Barker's presentation by Mrs. Sewell with a kindly glance that probably divined him. " You must dine with us," said Mrs. Sewell. " You can call it lunch." " No, I can't, Mrs. Sewell," said Miss Vane. " I could once, and should have said with great pleasure, when I went away, that I had been lunching at the Sewells; but I can't now. I 've reformed. What have you got for dinner 1" "Eoast beef," said Sewell. "Nothing I dislike more," replied Miss Vane. "Whatelse?" She put on her glasses, and peered critically about the table. " Stewed ...« less