“The day had come and the appointed hour was near. Gertrude, alone with Lucia in her private parlor, showed more tenderness than usual, and Lucia accepted and returned her affection with growing fondness. Like the lamb that trembles fearlessly under the shepherd’s hand as he softly pets her and pulls her along, she turns to lick his hand, not realizing that waiting outside the pen is the butcher to whom she has just been sold.”
