I hope you understand me, though you say
nothing? You see, if he is a gipsy at heart, he has also been brought up
to many comforts you cannot give him, and with the habits and ideas of a
gentleman. You are too clever, and too fond of him, to mind my speaking
plainly. Now there are things which a gentleman might do if he had the
money, which would satisfy his love of roving as well. Many rich
gentlemen dislike the confinement of houses and domestic ways as much as
Christian, and they leave their fine homes to travel among dangers and
discomforts. I could find the money for Christian to do this by and by.
If he likes a wandering life, he can live it easily so--only he would be
able to wander hundreds of miles where you wander one, and to sleep
under other skies and among new flowers, and in forests to which such
woods as these are shrubberies. He need not fall into any of the bad
ways to which you know people are tempted by being poor. I have thought
of it all, night after night, and longed to be able to tell you about
it. He might become a famous traveller, you know; he is very clever and
very fond of books of adventure. This young gentleman will tell you so.
How proud we should both be of him! That is what I have thought might be
if you did not hide him from me, and I did not keep him from you.
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