Garthowen - A Story of a Welsh Homestead by Allen Raine
page 43 of 316 (13%)
page 43 of 316 (13%)
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finger following the words, she read aloud:
"ANN OWENS, HER BOOK, GARTHOWEN." Beneath this was written in a boyish hand the well-known doggerel lines: "This book is hers, I do declare, Then steal it not or else beware! For on the dreadful Judgment Day You may depend the Lord will say, 'Where is that book you stole away?'" It was written in English, and Morva, though she could make herself understood in that language, was not learned enough to read it easily. However, there was no difficulty in reading the signature of "William Owens" which followed. She turned over a leaf, and here indeed were signs of Gethin, for all over the title page was scrawled with many flourishes "Gethin Owens, Garthowen," "Gethin Owens," "G. O.," "Gethin," etc. It was wrong, no doubt, to deface the first page of the Bible in this way, but Ann had said "too wicked to leave about!" so Morva searched through the whole book, until on the fair leaf which fronted "The Revelations" she found evident proof of Gethin's depravity; and she quailed a little as she saw a vivid and realistic pen and ink drawing of a fire of leaping flames, standing over which was a monster in human shape, though boasting of a tail and cloven hoofs. With fiendish glee the creature was toasting on a long fork something which looked fearfully like a man, whose starting eyes and writhing limbs showed plainly that he was not as happy as his |
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