Крамка старожитностей

Chapter 53

           

           Heopened,ashespoke,acupboardclosetowherehesat,andproducedsomeminiatureboxes,carvedinahomelymannerandmadeofoldwood.

           ‘Somegentlefolkswhoarefondofancientdays,andwhatbelongstothem,’hesaid,‘liketobuythesekeepsakesfromourchurchandruins.Sometimes,Imakethemofscrapsofoak,thatturnuphereandthere;sometimesofbitsofcoffinswhichthevaultshavelongpreserved.Seeherethisisalittlechestofthelastkind,claspedattheedgeswithfragmentsofbrassplatesthathadwritingon‘emonce,thoughitwouldbehardtoreaditnow.Ihaven’tmanybymeatthistimeofyear,buttheseshelveswillbefullnextsummer.’

           Thechildadmiredandpraisedhiswork,andshortlyafterwardsdeparted;thinking,asshewent,howstrangeitwas,thatthisoldman,drawingfromhispursuits,andeverythingaroundhim,onesternmoral,nevercontemplateditsapplicationtohimself;and,whilehedweltupontheuncertaintyofhumanlife,seemedbothinwordanddeedtodeemhimselfimmortal.Buthermusingsdidnotstophere,forshewaswiseenoughtothinkthatbyagoodandmercifuladjustmentthismustbehumannature,andthattheoldsexton,withhisplansfornextsummer,wasbutatypeofallmankind.

           Fullofthesemeditations,shereachedthechurch.Itwaseasytofindthekeybelongingtotheouterdoor,foreachwaslabelledonascrapofyellowparchment.Itsveryturninginthelockawokeahollowsound,andwhensheenteredwithafalteringstep,theechoesthatitraisedinclosing,madeherstart.

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