Mother and Child

Mother and Child
My Sweet Rose painting
Naiade oil painting
Nighthawks Hopper
¡¡¡¡Peggotty, with some uneasy glances at me, curtseyed herself out of the room without replying; seeing, I suppose, that she was expected to go, and had no excuse for remaining. When we two were left alone, he shut the door, and sitting on a chair, and holding me standing before him, looked steadily into my eyes. I felt my own attracted, no less steadily, to his. As I recall our being opposed thus, face to face, I seem again to hear my heart beat fast and high. ¡¡¡¡'David,' he said, making his lips thin, by pressing them together, 'if I have an obstinate horse or dog to deal with, what do you think I do?' ¡¡¡¡'I don't know.' ¡¡¡¡'I beat him.' ¡¡¡¡I had answered in a kind of breathless whisper, but I felt, in my silence, that my breath was shorter now. ¡¡¡¡'I make him wince, and smart. I say to myself,
oil painting "I'll conquer that fellow"; and if it were to cost him all the blood he had, I should do it. What is that upon your face?' ¡¡¡¡'Dirt,' I said. ¡¡¡¡He knew it was the mark of tears as well as I. But if he had asked the question twenty times, each time with twenty blows, I believe my baby heart would have burst before I would have told him so. ¡¡¡¡'You have a good deal of intelligence for a little fellow,' he said, with a grave smile that belonged to him, 'and you understood me very well, I see. Wash that face, sir, and come down with me.' ¡¡¡¡He pointed to the washing-stand, which I had made out to be like Mrs. Gummidge, and motioned me with his head to obey him directly. I had little doubt then, and I have less doubt now, that he would have knocked me down without the least compunction, if I had hesitated.