"Debora! What is it? What hath come to thee?"
A MAID
OF
MANY
MOODS
By VIRNA SHEARD
Toronto, THE COPP, CLARK
COMPANY, Ltd. MCMII
Copyright, 1902, By James Pott & Co.
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
First Impression, September, 1902
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"Debora! What is it? What hath come to thee?" . . . Frontispiece
"Thou'lt light no more"
She followed the tragedy intensely
"I liked thee as a girl, Deb; but I love thee as a lad"
"It breaks my heart to see thee here, Nick"
Darby went lightly from one London topic to another
CHAPTER I
I
It was Christmas Eve, and all the small diamond window panes of OneTree Inn, the half-way house upon the road from Stratford to Shottery,were aglitter with light from the great fire in the front roomchimney-place and from the many candles Mistress Debora had set intheir brass candlesticks and started a-burning herself. The place,usually so dark and quiet at this time of night, seemed to have goneoff in a whirligig of gaiety to celebrate the Noel-tide.
In vain had old Marjorie, the housekeeper, scolded. In vain had MasterThornbury, who was of a thrifty and saving nature, followed hisdaughter about and expostulated. She only laughed and waved thelighted end of the long spill around his broad red face and brightflowered jerkin.
"Nay, Dad!" she had cried, teasing him thus, "I'll help thee save thypennies to-morrow, but to-night I'm of another mind, and will have sucha lighting up in One Tree Inn the rustics will come running fromCoventry to see if it be really ablaze. There'll not be a candle inany room whatever without its own little feather of fire, not a dip inthe kitchen left dark! So just save thy breath to blow them out later."
"Come, mend thy saucy speech, thou'lt light no more, I tell thee,"blustered the old fellow, trying to reach the spill which the girl heldhigh above her head. "Give over thy foolishness;