"I'd be pretty ashamed of him
Harry did not know where his rage was coming from, but it had propelled him to his feet tooLupin looked as though Harry had hit him
"If the new regime thinks Muggle-borns are bad," Harry said, "what will they do to a half-werewolf whose father's in the Order? My father died trying to protect my mother and me, and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid to go on an adventure with us?"
"How - how dare you?" said Lupin"This is not about a desire for - for danger or personal glory - how dare you suggest such a - "
"I think you're feeling a bit of a daredevil," Harry said, "You fancy stepping into Sirius's shoes -"
"Harry, no!" Hermione begged him, but he continued to glare into Lupin's livid face
"I'd never have believed this," Harry said"The man who taught me to fight dementors - a coward
Lupin drew his wand so fast that Harry had barely reached for his own; there was a roxanne mulberry loud bang and he felt himself flying backward as if punched; as he slammed into the kitchen wall and slid to the floor, he glimpsed the tail of Lupin's cloak disappearing around the door
"Remus, Remus, come back!" Hermione cried, but Lupin did not respondA moment later they heard the front door slam
"Harry!" wailed Hermione"How could you?"
"It was easy," said HarryHe stood up, he could feel a lump swelling where his head had hit the wallHe was still so full of anger he was shaking
"Don't look at me like that!" he snapped at Hermione
"Don't you start on her!" snarled Ron
"No - no - we mustn't fight!" said Hermione, launching herself between them
"You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin," Ron told Harry
"He had it coming to him," said HarryBroken images were racing each other through his mind: Sirius falling through the veil; Dumbledore suspended, broken, in midair; a flash of green light and his mother's tiffany heart tag necklace voice, begging for mercy
"Parents," said Harry, "shouldn't leave their kids unless - unless they've got to
"Harry -" said Hermione, stretching out a consoling hand, but he shrugged it off and walked away, his eyes on the fire Hermione had conjuredHe had once spoken to Lupin out of that fireplace, seeking reassurance about James, and Lupin had consoled himNow Lupin's tortured white face seemed to swim in the air before himHe felt a
sickening surge of remorseNeither Ron nor Hermione spoke, but Harry felt sure that they were looking at each other behind his back, communicating silently
He turned around and caught them turning hurriedly away form each other
"I know I shouldn't have called him a coward
"No, you shouldn't," said Ron at once
"But he's acting like one
"I know," said Harry"But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it'll be worth it, won't it?"
He could not keep the plea out of his voiceHermione looked chanel cambon handbag sympathetic, Ron uncertainHarry looked down at his feet, thinking of his fatherWould James have backed Harry in what he had said to Lupin, or would he have been angry at how his son had treated his old friend?
The silent kitchen seemed to hum with the shock of the recent scene and with Ron and Hermione's unspoken reproachesThe \iDaily Prophet\i Lupin had brought was still lying on the table, Harry's own face staring up at the ceiling from the front pageHe walked over to it and sat down, opened the paper at random, and pretended to readHe could not take in the words; his mind was still too full of the encounter with LupinHe was sure that Ron and Hermione had resumed their silent communications on the other side of the \iProphet\iHe turned a page loudly, and Dumbledore's name leapt out at himIt was a moment or two before he took in the meaning of the photograph, which showed a family groupBeneath the photograph louis vuitton miroir were the words: \iThe Dumbledore family, left to right: Albus; Percival, holding newborn Ariana; Kendra, and Aberforth\i
His attention caught, Harry examined the picture more carefullyDumbledore's father, Percival, was a good-looking man with eyes that seemed to twinkle even in this faded old photographThe baby, Ariana, was a little longer than a loaf of bread and no more distinctive-lookingThe mother, Kendra, had jet black hair pulled into a high bunHer face had a carved quality about itHarry thought of photos of Native Americans he'd seen as he studied her dark eyes, high cheekbones, and straight nose, formally composed above a high-necked silk gownAlbus and Aberforth wore matching lacy collared jackets and had identical, shoulder-length hairstylesAlbus looked several years older, but otherwise the two boys looked very alike, for this was before Albus's nose had been broken and before he started wearing seamaster de ville glasse

"You are an unusual wizard, Harry Potter
"In what way?" asked Harry, rubbing his scar absently
"So?"
Griphook did not answerHarry rather thought he was being sneered at for acting like a Muggle, but it did not matter to him whether Griphook approved of Dobby's grave or notHe gathered himself for the attack
"Griphook, I need to ask -"
"You also rescued a goblin
"What?"
"You brought me here
"Well, I take it you're not sorry?" said Harry a little impatiently
"No, Harry Potter," said Griphook, and with one finger he twisted the thin black beard upon his chin, "but you are a very odd wizard
"Right," said Harry"Well, I need some help, Griphook, and you can give it to me
The goblin made no sign of encouragement, but continued to frown at Harry as though he had never seen anything like him
"I need to break into a Gringotts vault
Harry had not meant to say it so badly: the words were forced from him as pain tiffany and co jewelry shot through his lightning scar and he saw, again, the outline of HogwartsHe closed his mind firmlyHe needed to deal with Griphook firstRon and Hermione were staring at Harry as though he had gone mad
"Harry -" said Hermione, but she was cut off by Griphook
"Break into a Gringotts vault?" repeated the goblin, wincing a little as he shifted his position upon the bed
"No, it isn't," Ron contradicted him"The same day I first met you, GriphookMy birthday, seven years ago
"The vault in question was empty at the time," snapped the goblin, and Harry understood that even though Griphook had let Gringotts, he was offended at the idea of its defenses being breached"Its protection was minimal
"Well, the vault we need to get into isn't empty, and I'm guessing its protection will be pretty powerful," said Harry"It belongs to the Lestranges
He saw Hermione and Ron look at each other, astonished, but there would be time enough chloe bag to explain after Griphook had given his answer
"You have no chance," said Griphook flatly\iIf you seek beneath our floors, a treasure that was never yours\i -"
"\iThief, you have been warned, beware\i - yeah, I know, I remember," said Harry"But I'm not trying to get myself any treasure, I'm not trying to take anything for personal gainCan you believe that?"
The goblin looked slantwise at Harry, and the lightning scar on Harry's forehead prickled, but he ignored it, refusing to acknowledge its pain or its invitation
"If there was a wizard of whom I would believe that they did not seek personal gain," said Griphook finally, "it would be you, Harry PotterGoblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown this nightNot from wand-carriers
"Wand-carriers," repeated Harry: The phrase fell oddly upon his ears as his scar prickled, as Voldemort turned his thoughts northward, and as Harry mulberry bayswater bag burned to question Ollivander next door
"The right to carry a wand," said the goblin quietly, "has long been contested between wizards and goblins
"Well, goblins can do magic without wands," said Ron
"That is immaterial! Wizards refuse to share the secrets of wand-lore with other magical beings, they deny us the possibility of extending our powers!"
"Well, goblins won't share any of their magic either," said Ron"You won't tell us how to make swords and armor the way you doGoblins know how to work metal in a way wizards have never -"
"It doesn't matter," said Harry, noting Griphook's rising color"This isn't about wizards versus goblins or any other sort of magical creature -"
Griphook gave a nasty laugh
"But it is, it is precisely that! As the Dark Lord becomes ever more powerful, your race is set still more firmly above mine! Gringotts falls under Wizarding rule, house-elves are slaughtered, and who amongst women's rolex watch the wand-carriers protests?"
"We do!" said HermioneShe had sat up straight, her eyes bright"We protest! And I'm hunted quite as much as any goblin or elf, Griphook! I'm a Mudblood!"
"Don't call yourself -" Ron muttered
"Why shouldn't I?" said Hermione"Mudblood, and proud of it! I've got no higher position under this new order than you have, Griphook! It was me they chose to torture, back at the Malfoys!"
As she spoke, she pulled aside the neck of the dressing gown to reveal the thin cut Bellatrix had made, scarlet against her throat
"Did you know that it was Harry who set Dobby free?" she asked"Did you know that we've wanted elves to be freed for years?" (Ron fidgeted uncomfortably on the arm of Hermione's chair "You can't want You-Know-Who defeated more than we do, Griphook!"
The goblin gazed at Hermione with the same curiousity he had shown Harry
"What do you seek within the Lestranges' vault?" he asked chanel necklace abrupt

At the outset he had agreed to accept a handsome bribe, but as the trial

A BOOK OF SCOUNDRELS
approached, his avarice increased, and he would be content with nothing
less than the lady's hand and fortune Not that he loved her; his heart was
long since given to Moll Cutpurse; but he knew that his career of
depredation was at an end, and it became him to provide for his declining
years The victim repulsed his suit, regretting a thousand times that she
had stabbed her ancient lover At last, bidden summarily to choose
between Death and the Clerk, she chose the Clerk, and thus Ralph Briscoe
left Newgate the richest squire in a western county Henceforth he
farmed his land like a gentleman, drank with those of his neighbours who
would crack a bottle with him, and unlocked the strange stores of his
memory to bumpkins who knew not the name of Newgate Still devoted
to sport, he hunted the fox, and made such a bull-ring as his youthful
imagination could never have pictured So he lived a life of country ease,
and died a churchwarden And he deserved his prosperity, for he carried
the soul of Falstaff in the shrunken body of Justice Shallow


A BOOK OF SCOUNDRELS

GILDEROY AND THE
SIXTEEN- STRING JACK

I GILDEROY
HE stood six feet ten in his stockinged feet, and was prada clutch the tallest ruffian
that ever cut a purse or held up a coach on the highway A mass of black
hair curled over a low forehead, and a glittering eye intensified his
villainous aspect; nor did a deep scar, furrowing his cheek from end to end,
soften the horror of his sudden apparition Valiant men shuddered at his
approach; women shrank from the distant echo of his name; for fifteen
years he terrorised Scotland from Caithness to the border; and the most
partial chronicler never insulted his memory with the record of a good
deed
He was born to a gentle family in the Calendar of Monteith, and was
celebrated even in boyhood for his feats of strength and daring While
still at school he could hold a hundredweight at arm's-length, and crumple
up a horseshoe like a wisp of hay The fleetest runner, the most desperate
fighter in the country, he was already famous before his name was
besmirched with crime, and he might have been immortalised as the
Hercules of the seventeenth century, had not his ambition been otherwise
flattered At the outset, though the inclination was never lacking, he
knew small temptation to break the sterner laws of conduct His
pleasures were abundantly supplied by his father's generosity, and he had
no need to refrain from such vices as became a gentleman If he was no
drunkard, it was because his head was equal to the severest strain, and,
despite his forbidding expression, he was always a successful breaker of
hearts His very masterfulness overcame the most stubborn resistance;
and more than once the pressure louis vuitton backpacks of his dishonourable suit converted hatred
into love At the very time that he was denounced for Scotland's disgrace,
his praises were chanted in many a dejected ballad `Gilderoy was a

A BOOK OF SCOUNDRELS
bonny boy,' sang one heart-broken maiden:
Had roses till his shoon, His stockings were of
silken soy, Wi' garters hanging doon
But in truth he was admired less for his amiability than for that quality
of governance which, when once he had torn the decalogue to pieces,
made him a veritable emperor of crime
His father's death was the true beginning of his career A modest
patrimony was squandered in six months, and Gilderoy had no penny left
wherewith to satisfy the vices which insisted upon indulgence He
demanded money at all hazards, and money without toil For a while his
more loudly clamant needs were fulfilled by the amiable simplicity of his
mother, whom he blackmailed with insolence and contempt And when
she, wearied by his shameless importunity, at last withdrew her support, he
determined upon a monstrous act of vengeance With a noble affectation
of penitence he visited his home; promised reform at supper; and said
good-night in the broken accent of reconciliation No sooner was the
house sunk in slumber than he crawled stealthily upstairs in order to
forestall by theft a promised generosity He opened the door of the bed-
chamber in a hushed silence; but the wrenching of the cofferlid awoke the
sleeper, ladies omega watches and Gilderoy, having cut his mother's throat with an infamous
levity, seized whatever money and jewels were in the house, cruelly
maltreated his sister, and laughingly burnt the house to the ground, that the
possibility of evidence might be destroyed
Henceforth his method of plunder was assured It was part of his
philosophy to prevent detection by murder, and the flames from the
burning walls added a pleasure to his lustful eye His march across
Scotland was marked by slaughtered families and ruined houses Plunder
was the first cause of his exploits, but there is no doubt that death and
arson were a solace to his fierce spirit; and for a while this giant of cruelty
knew neither check nor hindrance Presently it became a superstition
with him that death was the inevitable accompaniment of robbery, and, as
he was incapable of remorse, he grew callous, and neglected the simplest
precautions At Dunkeld he razed a rifled house to the ground, and with
the utmost effrontery repeated the performance at Aberdeen But at last

A BOOK OF SCOUNDRELS
he had been tracked by a company of soldiers, who, that justice might not
be cheated of her prey, carried him to gaol, where after the briefest trial he
was condemned to death
Gilderoy, however, was still master of himself His immense strength
not only burst his bonds, but broke prison, and this invincible Samson was
once more free in Aberdeen, inspiring that respectable city with a
legendary dread new omega watches The reward of one hundred pounds was offered in vain
Had he shown himself on the road in broad daylight, none would have
dared to arrest him, and it was not until his plans were deliberately laid,
that he crossed the sea The more violent period of his career was at an
end Never again did he yield to his passion for burning and sudden
death; and, if the world found him unconquerable, his self-control is
proved by the fact that in the heyday of his strength he turned from his
unredeemed brutality to a gentler method He now deserted Scotland for
France, with which, like all his countrymen, he claimed a cousinship; and
so profoundly did he impose upon Paris with his immense stature, his
elegant attire, his courtly manners (for he was courtesy itself, when it
pleased him), that he was taken for an eminent scholar, or at least a soldier
of fortune
Prosperity might doubtless have followed a discreet profession, but
Gilderoy must still be thieving, and he reaped a rich harvest among the
unsuspicious courtiers of France His most highly renowned exploit was
performed at StDenis, and the record of France's humiliation is still
treasured The great church was packed with ladies of fashion and their
devout admirers Richelieu attended in state; the king himself shone
upon the assembly The strange Scotsman, whom no man knew and all
men wondered at, attracted a hundred eyes to himself and his magnificent
equipment But it was not his to be idle, and at the very moment whereat
Mass was being sung, he contrived to lighten Richelieu's pocket of a omega usa pur

"How we got out of the Slough and through the Wicket Gate by resolving to be good, and up the steep hill by trying, and that maybe the house over there, full of splendid things, is going to be our Palace Beautiful
"We have got to get by the lions first," said Jo, as if she rather liked the prospect




CHAPTER SIX

The big house did prove a Palace Beautiful, though it took some time for all to get in, and Beth found it very hard to pass the lionsLaurence was the biggest one, but after he had called, said something funny or kind to each one of the girls, and talked over old times with their mother, nobody felt much afraid of him, except timid BethThe other lion was the fact that they were poor and Laurie rich, for this made them shy of accepting favors which they could not returnBut, after a while, they found that he considered them the benefactors, and could not do enough to show how grateful he was for MrsMarch's motherly welcome, their cheerful society, and the comfort he took in that humble home of theirsSo they soon forgot their pride and interchanged kindnesses without stopping to think which was the greater
All sorts of pleasant things happened about that time, for the new sac kelly hermes friendship flourished like grass in springEvery one liked Laurie, and he privately informed his tutor that "the Marches were regularly splendid girls With the delightful enthusiasm of youth, they took the solitary boy into their midst and made much of him, and he found something very charming in the innocent companionshipof these simple-hearted girlsNever having known mother or sisters, he was quick to feel the influences they brought about him, and their busy, lively ways made him ashamed of the indolent life he ledHe was tired of books, and found people so interesting now that MrBrooke was obliged to make very unsatisfactory reports, for Laurie was always playing truant and running over to the Marches'
"Never mind, let him take a holiday, and make it up afterward," said the old gentleman"The good lady next door says he is studying too hard and needs young society, amusement, and exerciseI suspect she is right, and that I've been coddling the fellow as if I'd been his grandmotherLet him do what he likes, as long as he is happyHe can't get into mischief in that little nunnery over there, and MrsMarch is doing more for him than we can
What good times they had, to be sureSuch plays and tableaux, such cartier santos de cartier sleigh rides and skating frolics, such pleasant evenings in the old parlor, and now and then such gay little parties at the great houseMeg could walk in the conservatory whenever she liked and revel in bouquets, Jo browsed over the new library voraciously, and convulsed the old gentleman with her criticisms, Amy copied pictures and enjoyed beauty to her heart's content, and Laurie played `lord of the manor' in the most delightful style
But Beth, though yearning for the grand piano, could not pluck up courage to go to the `Mansion of Bliss', as Meg called itShe went once with Jo, but the old gentleman, not being aware of her infirmity, stared at her so hard from under his heavy eyebrows, and said "Hey!" so loud, that he frightened her so much her `feet chattered on the floor', she never told her mother, and she ran away, declaring she would never go there any more, not even for the dear pianoNo persuasions orenticements could overcome her fear, till, the fact coming to MrLaurence's ear in some mysterious way, he set about mending mattersDuring one of the brief calls he made, he artfully led the conversation to music, and talked away about great singers whom he had seen, fine organs he had heard, and gucci ladies watch toldsuch charming anecdotes that Beth found it impossible to stay in her distant corner, but crept nearer and nearer, as if fascinatedAt the back of his chair she stopped and stood listening, with her great eyes wide open and her cheeks red with excitement of this unusual performanceTaking no more notice of her than if she had been a fly, MrLaurence talked on about Laurie's lessons and teachersAnd presently, as if the idea had just occurred to him, he said to Mrs
"The boy neglects his music now, and I'm glad of it, for he was getting too fond of itBut the piano suffers for want of useWouldn't some of your girls like to run over, and practice on it now and then, just to keep it in tune, you know, ma`am?"
Beth took a step forward, and pressed her hands tightly together to keep from clapping them, for this was an irresistible temptation, and the thought of practicing on that splendid instrument quite took her breath awayMarch could reply, MrLaurence went on with an odd little nod and smile
"They needn't see or speak to anyone, but run in at any timeFor I'm shut up in my study at the other end of the house, Laurie is out a great deal, and the servants are never near the drawing room after nine o'clock
Here chanel black handbags he rose, as if going, and Beth made up her mind to speak, for that last arrangement left nothing to be desired"Please, tell the young ladies what I say, and if they don't care to come, why, never mind Here a little hand slipped into his, and Beth looked up at him with a face full of gratitude, as she said, in her earnest yet timid way
"Oh sir, they do care, very very much!" "Are you the musical girl?" he asked, without any startling "Hey!" as he looked down at her very kindlyI love it dearly, and I'll come, if you are quite sure nobody will hear me, and be disturbed," she added, fearing to be rude, and trembling at her own boldness as she spoke
"Not a soul, my dearThe house is empty half the day, so come and drum away as much as you like, and I shall be obliged toyou
"How kind you are, sir!"
Beth blushed like a rose under the friendly look he wore, but she was not frightened now, and gave the hand a grateful squeeze because she had no words to thank him for the precious gift he had given herThe old gentleman softly stroked the hair off her forehead, and, stooping down, he kissed herr, saying, in a tone few people ever heard
"I had a little girl once, with eyes like theseGod bless you, my dear! Good balenciaga designer

If Amy is bothering, I'll shake her
Feeling very much out of sorts herself, Jo hurried into the parlor to find Beth sobbing over Pip, the canary, who lay dead in the cage with his little claws pathetically extended, as if imploring the food for want of which he had died
"It's all my fault, I forgot him, there isn't a seed or a drop leftOh, Pip! Oh, Pip! How could I be so cruel to you?" cried Beth, taking the poor thing in her hands and trying to restore him
Jo peeped into his half-open eye, felt his little heart, and finding him stiff and cold, shook her head, and offered her domino box for a coffin
"Put him in the oven, and maybe his will get warm and revive," said Amy hopefully
"He's been starved, and he shan't be baked now he's deadI'll make him a shroud, and he shall be buried in the garden, and I'll never have another bird, never, my Pip! For I am too bad to own one," murmured Beth, sitting on the floor with her pet folded in her hands"The funeral shall be this afternoon, and we will all goNow, don't cry, BethyIt's a pity, but nothing goes right this week, and Pip has had the worst of the experimentMake the shroud, and lay him in my box, and after the dinner party, we'll have a nice little funeral," said Jo, beginning to feel as if she had undertaken a good deal
Leaving the others to console Beth, she departed to the kitchen, which was in a most discouraging gucci ladies watch state of confusionPutting on a big apron, she fell to work and got the dishes piled up ready for washing, when she discovered that the fire was out
"Here's a sweet prospect!" muttered Jo, slamming the stove door open, and poking vigorously among the cinders
Having rekindled the fire, she thought she would go to market while the water heatedThe walk revived her spirits, and flattering herself that she had made good bargins, she trudged home again, after buying a very young lobster, some very old asparagus, and two boxes of acid strawberriesBy the time she got cleared up, the dinner arrived and the stove was red-hotHannah had left a pan of bread to rise, Meg had worked it up early, set it on the hearth for a second rising, and forgotten itMeg was entertaining Sallie Gardiner in the parlor, when the door flew open and a floury, crocky, flushed, and disheveled figure appeared, demanding tartly
"I say, isn't bread `riz' enough when it runs over the pans?"
Sallie began to laugh, but Meg nodded and lifted her eyebrows as high as they would go, which caused the apparition to vanish and put the sour bread into the oven without further delayMarch went out, after peeping here and there to see how matters went, also saying a word of comfort to Beth, who sat making a winding sheet, while the dear departed lay in state in the domino boxA strange sense of helplessness fell upon the omega seamaster fake girls as the gray bonnet vanished round the corner, and despair seized them when a few minutes later Miss Crocker appeared, and said she'd come to dinnerNow this lady was a thin, yellow spinster, with a sharp nose and inquisitive eyes, who saw everything and gossiped about all she sawThey disliked her, but had been taught to be kind to her, simply because she was old and poor and had few friendsSo Meg gave her the easy chair and tried to entertain her, while she asked questions, critsized everything, and told stories of the people whom she knew
Language cannot describe the anxieties, experiences, and exertions which Jo underwent that morning, and the dinner she served up became a standing jokeFearing to ask any more advice, she did her best alone, and discovered that something more than energy and good will is necessary to make a cookShe boiled the asparagus for an hour and wasgrieved to find the heads cooked off and the stalks harder than everThe bread burned black, for the salad dressing so aggravated her that she could not make it fit to earThe lobster was a scarlet mystery to her, but she hammered and poked till it was unshelled and its meagerproportions concealed in a grove of lettuce leavesThe potatoes had to be hurried, not to keep the asparagus waiting, and were not done at the lastThe blancmange was lumpy, and the strawberries not as ripe as they looked, having louis vuitton diaper bags been skilfully `deaconed'
"Well, they can eat beef and bread and butter, if they are hungry, only it's mortifying to have to spend your whole morning for nothing," thought Jo, as she rang the bell half an hour later than usual, and stood, hot, tired, and dispirited, surveying the feast spread before Laurie, accustomed to all sorts of elegance, and Miss Crocker, whose tattling tongue would report them far and wide
Poor Jo would gladly have gone under the table, as one thing after another was tasted and left, while Amy giggled, Meg looked distressed, Miss Crocker pursed her lips, and Laurie talked and laughed with all his might to give a cheerful tone to the festive sceneJo's one strong point was the fruit, for she had sugared it well, and had a pitcher of rich cream to eat with itHer hot cheeks cooled a trifle, and she drew a long breath as the pretty glass plates went round, and everyone looked graciously at the little rosy islands floating in a sea of creamMiss Crocker tasted first, made a wry face, and drank some water hastilyJo, who refused, thinking there might not be enough, for they dwindled sadly after the picking over, glanced at Laurie, but he was eating away manfully, though there was a slight pucker about his mouth and he kept his eye fixed on his plateAmy, who was fond of delicate fare, took a heaping spoonful, choked, hid her face in her napkin, and left gucci men wallet the table precipitately
"Oh, what is it?" exclaimed Jo, trembling
"Salt instead of sugar, and the cream is sour," replied Meg with a tragic gesture
Jo uttered a groan and fell back in her chair, remembering that she had given a last hasty powdering to the berries out of one of the two boxes on the kitchen table, and had neglected to put the milk in the refrigeratorShe turned scarlet and was on the verge of crying, when she met Laurie's eyes, which would look merry in spite of his heroic effortsThe comical side of the affair suddenly struck her, and she laughed till the tears ran down her cheeksSo did everyone else, even `Croaker' as the girls called the old lady, and the unfortunate dinner ended gaily, with bread and butter, olives and fun
"I haven't strength of mind enough to clear up now, so we will sober ourselves with a funeral," said Jo, as they rose, and Miss Crocker made ready to go, being eager to tell the new story at another friend's dinner table
They did sober themselves for Beth's sakeLaurie dug a grave under the ferns in the grove, little Pip was laid in, with many tears by his tender-hearted mistress, and covered with moss, while a wreath of violets and chickweed was hung on the stone which bore his epitaph, composed by Jo while she struggled with the dinner
Here lies Pip March,
Who died the 7th of June;
Loved and lamented sore,
And not forgotten omega de ville men's watches so