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you with forebodings about storm and tempest, which might have prevented the pleasure you promised yourself in drinking tea, or perhaps a lesson in Armenian, though you pretend to dislike the latter? My dislike is not pretended, said Belle; I hate the sound of it, but I love my tea, and it was kind of you not to wish to cast a cloud over my little pleasures; the thunder came quite time enough to interrupt it without being anticipated - there is another peal - I will clear away, and see that my tent is in a condition to resist the storm; and I think you had better bestir yourself. Isopel departed, and I remained seated on my stone, as nothing belonging to myself required any particular attention; in about a quarter of an hour she returned, and seated herself upon her stool. How dark the place is become since I left you, said she; just as if night were just at hand. Look up at the sky, said I; and you will not wonder; it is all of a deep olive. The wind is beginning to rise; hark how it moans among the branches, and see how their tops are bending; it brings dust on its wings - I felt some fall on my face; and what is this, a drop of rain? We shall have plenty anon, said Belle; do you hear? it already begins to hiss upon the embers; that fire of ours will soon be extinguished. It is not probable that we shall want it, said I, but we had better seek shelter: let us go into my tent. Go in, said Belle, but you go in alone; as for me, I will seek my own. You are right, said I, to be afraid of me; I have taught you to decline master in Armenian. You almost tempt me, said Belle, to make you decline mistress in English. To make matters short, said I, I decline a mistress. What do you mean? said Belle, angrily. I have merely done what you wished me, said I, and in your own style; there is no other way of declining anything in English, for in English there are no declensions. The rain is increasing, said Belle. It is so, said I; I shall go to my tent; you may come if you please; I do assure you I am not afraid of you. Nor I of you, said Belle; so I will come. Why should I be afraid? I can take my own part; that is - We went into the tent and sat down, and now the rain began to pour with vehemence. I hope we shall not be flooded in this hollow, said I to Belle. There is no fear of that, said Belle; the wandering people, amongst other names, call it the dry hollow. I believe there is a passage somewhere or other by which the wet is carried off. There must be a cloud right above us, it is so dark. Oh! what a flash! And what a peal! said I; that is what the Hebrews call Koul Adonai - the voice of the Lord. Are you afraid? No, said Belle, I rather like to hear it. You are right, said I, I am fond of the sound of thunder myself. There is nothing like it; Koul Adonai behadar: the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice, as the prayer-book version hath it. There is something awful in it, said Belle; and then the lightning - the whole dingle is now in a blaze. |
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