Love Endures by Grace Livingston Hill

Author:Grace Livingston Hill [Hill, Grace Livingston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62029-995-1
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Betty came reluctantly at the third call, in the midst of the most exciting chapter of all, to eat the delicious meal that her mother had prepared. She ate rapidly with enjoyment and was about to excuse herself and go back to her book when her father halted her.

“Sit down, Betty!” he said. His tone was kind but firm. There was a new note in it, which Betty in her preoccupation failed to notice.

“No way, Chester,” she said with an impudent laugh. “I’m right in the thrill of my book, and I can’t wait another minute.”

She had not called him Chester since they came to the farm, and somehow with the use of the disrespectful term her old bravado returned. It would not be long now before she was free from this kind of submission. She tilted her chin impertinently and turned away from the table.

“I said, ‘Sit down,’ Betty!” And now there was something unmistakable in his voice, though it was quiet and self-controlled.

Betty flashed at him a defiant look as she took another step toward her book, and then suddenly, she did not quite know why, she came back and sat down, her face overclouded by a sudden sullen anger.

But Chester paid no attention to her attitude. He continued to look at her steadily, with that quality of searching justice in his eyes that made her uncomfortable in spite of her anger. It seemed an age that he looked at her so, until she wished to drop her eyes from that steady glance, but could not do so.

“Betty, while you are in my house—”

Betty gave him a sudden, quick startled look. Why did he say, “While you are in my house,” as if he knew? Could he possibly have found out? Had he followed her down in the village without her knowledge?

“While you are in my house,” went on the steady voice, “you will not call me by that name anymore. What began in jest has ceased to be amusing and has become disrespect. It is part of the disrespect of the age. It is what we came here to get away from. It was perhaps partly our fault that you were allowed to fall into such habits. But it will not be our fault if you continue in them. Your mother and I are determined to undo as far as possible what has been done while we had our eyes shut. Now, I hope that is thoroughly understood—”

His eyes went around the table and searched each young face with a meaningful glance. There was something about his expression that showed he was not to be trifled with.

“This is something that applies to you all,” he added, “a principle that must be observed. We want no more flippant remarks and no more refusals to do what you are told to do.”

Chris turned red and began to put more butter on a piece of bread, though he had seemed to have quite finished his supper. Jane folded her napkin

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