My mother was sitting by the fire fire , but poorly in health , and very low in spirits , looking look at it through her tears tear , and desponding despond heavily about herself and the fatherless little stranger , who was already welcomed welcome by some grosses of prophetic pins , in a drawer upstairs , to a world not at all excited on the subject of his arrival arrival ; my mother , I say , was sitting by the fire fire , that bright , windy March afternoon , very timid and sad , and very doubtful of ever coming alive out of the trial that was before her , when , lifting lift her eyes as she dried dry them , to the window opposite , she saw see a strange lady coming come up the garden .

" Good-mawnin ' , suh , " he said say , lifting lift his cap politely .

However , they soon returned return , and one of them , who ventured venture so far as to get a full sight sight of my face , lifting lift up his hands and eyes by way of admiration , cried cry out in a shrill but distinct voice , _ Hekinah degul _ : the others repeated repeat the same words several times , but then I knew not what they meant .

At length , struggling struggle to get loose , I had the fortune to break break the strings , and wrench wrench out the pegs that fastened my left arm to the ground ; for , by lifting lift it up to my face , I discovered discover the methods they had taken to bind bind me , and at the same time with a violent pull pull , which gave me excessive pain pain , I a little loosened loosen the strings that tied down my hair on the left side , so that I was just able to turn turn my head about two inches .

I answered answer in a few words , but in the most submissive manner , lifting lift up my left hand , and both my eyes to the sun , as calling him for a witness ; and being almost famished with hunger , having not eaten a morsel for some hours before I left leave the ship , I found find the demands demand of nature so strong upon me , that I could not forbear showing show my impatience ( perhaps against the strict rules of decency ) by putting put my finger frequently to my mouth , to signify signify that I wanted food .

The garden seemed a tangle of all manner of vegetation -- an oleander in bloom , a poinsettia , a yucca , lifting lift its spike of waxen white blossoms , a narrow flower-border in which the gardenias had become tall shrubs and the scented verbena shrubs almost trees .

He accepted accept the sunshade , and lifting lift it over his head descended descend the steps and walked walk away .