She had heard what passed aloud; and, as the eldest girl, had been so
constantly among the seniors, and so often supposed to be intent on
her own occupations when they were conversing, that she had already
the knowledge that magnum bonum, was the pet home term for some great
discovery in medical, science that her father had been pursuing, with
many disappointments and much incredulity from the few friends to
whom it had been mentioned, but with absolute confidence on his own
part. What it was she did, not know, but she had fully taken in the
injunction of secrecy and the charge to hand on the task to one of
her brothers; only, while her father had spoken of it as a grave
trust, she viewed it as an inheritance of glory; and felt a strange
longing and repining that it could not be given to her to win and
wear the crown of success.
Janet, did not, however, keep the treasure long, for that very
evening Mrs. Lucas sought her out to tell her that her mother had
been saying something, about a slate, and Dr. Lucas thought it was
one on which her father had been writing. If she could find it, they
hoped her mother would rest better.
Janet produced it, and, being evidently most unwilling to let it go
out of her hands, was allowed to carry it in, and to tell her mother
that she had it.
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