Little Women - 912 Freedom Library

Little Womenthe old gentleman with her criticisms, Amy copiedpictures and enjoyed beauty to her heart’s content, andLaurie played ‘lord of the manor’ in the most delightfulstyle.But Beth, though yearning for the grand piano, couldnot pluck up courage to go to the ‘Mansion of Bliss’, asMeg called it. She went once with Jo, but the oldgentleman, not being aware of her infirmity, stared at herso hard from under his heavy eyebrows, and said ‘Hey!’ soloud, that he frightened her so much her ‘feet chattered onthe floor’, she never told her mother, and she ran away,declaring she would never go there any more, not evenfor the dear piano. No persuasions or enticements couldovercome her fear, till, the fact coming to Mr. Laurence’sear in some mysterious way, he set about mendingmatters. During one of the brief calls he made, he artfullyled the conversation to music, and talked away about greatsingers whom he had seen, fine organs he had heard, andtold such charming anecdotes that Beth found itimpossible to stay in her distant corner, but crept nearerand nearer, as if fascinated. At the back of his chair shestopped and stood listening, with her great eyes wide openand her cheeks red with excitement of this unusualperformance. Taking no more notice of her than if she102 of 861