Ishmael moved through his little encampment, with the seriousness of
one who had been unexpectedly charged with matters of a gravity,
exceeding any of the ordinary occurrences of his irregular existence.
His sons however, who had so often found occasions to prove the
inexorable severity of their father's character, saw, in his sullen
mien and cold eye, rather a determination to adhere to his
resolutions, which usually were as obstinately enforced as they were
harshly conceived, than any evidences of wavering or doubt. Even
Esther was sensibly affected by the important matters that pressed so
heavily on the interests of her family. While she neglected none of
those domestic offices, which would probably have proceeded under any
conceivable circumstances, just as the world turns round with
earthquakes rending its crust and volcanoes consuming its vitals, yet
her voice was pitched to a lower and more foreboding key than common,
and the still frequent chidings of her children were tempered by
something like the milder dignity of parental authority.
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