"Very, very soon, my little
love. You'll be there to meet me when I come."
"Dolly'll watch for gan-pa," she murmured, with long pauses between the
words, which seemed to drop one by one upon Tony's ear; "and Dolly'll
watch at the door for Tony to come home; and she'll fret ever so if he
never comes."
Tony felt her stir restlessly under his arm, and stretch her tiny limbs
upon the bed as if she were very tired, and the languid eyelids drooped
slowly till they quite hid her blue eyes, and she sighed softly as
children sigh when they fall asleep, weary of their play. Old Oliver laid
his shaking hand tenderly upon her head.
"Dear Lord!" he said, "take my little love to thyself. I give her
up to thee."
It seemed to Tony as if a thick mist of darkness fell all about him, and
as if he were sinking down, down, very low into some horrible pit where
he would never see the light of day again. But by-and-bye he came to
himself, and found old Oliver sobbing in short, heavy sobs, and swaying
himself to and fro, while Beppo was licking Dolly's hand, and barking
with a sharp, quiet bark, as he had been wont to do when he wanted her to
play with him.
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