thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
quite elegant, Mother remarked, and tall menwear clothes so well, but dotry not to become too broad or heavy, Henry, not like your father.Mother!Youresuch a handsome young man, darling. Dont let it go to ruin if youcan help it.Illkeep that in mind, Henry said dryly. He made a point of havingseconds of everything except the oatmeal.Afterbreakfast, they went upstairs. Martin asked permission to go to theSlatterys to practice again and Henry could not think of adefensible reason to say no.Martinstood in the middle of the room with his violin case in his hand.Ill return for lunch in, say, three hours? He cocked hishead, looking at Henry expectantly.Wheneveryou return will be fine, Im sure, Henry said, though he did notfeel this way at all. He was pretending to be a generous person, agood person, but he wasnt; he was horrible. He wanted to haveMartin all to himself, all the time, and if he could think of a wayto make that seem reasonable to other peoplechief among themMartinthen thats exactly what hed do.Idont want to make you wait, Martin told him. He kissed Henryvery tenderly, and Henrys body responded, half-melting andhalf-hard. Ill be back soon. He turned and left Henry alonein his room.Henryspent the hours in painful longing, in pathetic yearning. How couldhe feel this separation so intensely while Martin seemed unaffected?The obvious answer was that he cared for Martin more than Martincared for him, and maybe this was the case. He couldnt forceMartin to love him, he supposed, but he couldnt help wanting tohave love returned. Maybe he should burn the valentine. Maybe itwould be a mistake to say the words to Martin.Martinreturned in high spirits, and he seemed not to notice how overwroughtHenry had become in his absence.Ithink the dance is going to be great fun! Im excited for you tosee us play. I think youll be proud of me.Henrygot up off the bed and crossed to where Martin stood and embraced himtightly. Im excited, too, Henry told him. He buried his facein Martins neck and pulled the tie from his hair, taking thestrands in silky handfuls. I know Ill be proud of you.Henry,we have to go downstairs, Martin said, taking a step back. He tookthe tie from Henrys hand and gathered his hair into a tail again.Arent you hungry?Henryfelt embarrassed and his cheeks grew hot. Of course, he saidgruffly. Lets go down.Theysat side-by-side at the breakfast room table and ate soup andsandwiches and large wedges of caramel cake, and Martin told Henryabout the rehearsal.Wereso fortunate, Sir, that the Slatterys enjoy dance music and gaveHomer an accordion. All the Houses allow boys to learn instruments,of course, but too often masters dont provide the means for slavesto play after theyre sold.Iremember you telling me that they warned you at Ganymede that yourmaster might not give you a violin.Yes,Sir, and I was so grateful that you allowed me to keep playing, andon such a fine instrument! I think you know how much pleasure itgives me.Henryblushed to think of how much pleasure it gave him.I want you to have the things that make you happy.Martinglanced
toward the empty doorway before placing his hand on Henrysthigh for a fraction of a second. I know, Sir, and I appreciate itso much.Theywere almost done eating; Henry had had two pieces of cake already andcould not face eating a third, but he didnt want Martin to leave.Do you have to go back to practice?Justfor a short time, Sir. Ill be back home for dinner, and to dressyou for your meal, and afterward well go to the party.Henrycould see the Slattery house from his southern-facing windows but hewasnt able to see Martin again after he went through theSlatterys front gate and around the side of their house. He wentdown the back stairs, passing one of the maids (Peggy?) andacknowledging her with a nod. He went down to the basement, to thebroad hall outside the kitchen, and looked into the slaves messthrough the hall windows. The room had been cleared of tables and thepiano had been moved out of its corner to a more central position.The walls were festooned with garlands of greenery and Johnny andLittle Bob were occupied with ornamenting these swags with red andwhite roses.Henrywished there were a way he could be of help; he hated waiting withnothing to do. He put his hand on the doorknob but hesitated. Johnnyand Little Bob were always shy of him and would probably find hispresence taxing, at best. The slaves expected to be of use to Henry,not the other way around, and would not welcome his intrusion.Mr.Blackwell? Is there something you need, Sir?Henryturned to find little Katie standing there with a whisk broom inhand, peering at him anxiously.Isthere something amiss in your rooms, Sir? I can come up directly andsee to it, if youd like.No,no. I was just...Im curious about the wedding arrangements, isall.Oh!Sir! Are...are you coming to the wedding?Yes.Billy is very important to me.Thatllbe such an honor for Billy and Jane, Sir, it really will.Ijust hope I dont ruin everyones fun by being there.Imsure you wont, Sir. She paused and looked at him a moment. Areyou sure everything is to your liking up in your rooms?Yes,yes. Ill just be getting back up there, Henry said,embarrassed, hurrying off toward the stairs.Ashe reached the second floor landing, Henry was inspired to climbfurther up, all the way to the nursery.Sir!Nurse cried, opening the nursery door. What a nice surprise! Yoursister will be thrilled! She peered behind him. WheresMartin, Sir?Hesnext door at the Slatterys house rehearsing for the dancetonight.Nursedidnt say anything, but Henry knew she was thinking what he wasthinking: Cora would be disappointed to have Henry without Martin.Still, he was better than nothing, or at least he hoped he was.Ashe entered, Henry noted that the miniature circus was set up in placeof honor on the low table. Cora sat on the floor in front of thewindow near her cabinet house, a group of dolls arrayed around her onthe linoleum, Baby Ann recognizable even at a distance thanks to hercareworn appearance. Cora looked around as Henry walked in and litup, bright as a candle. Henry! She got to her feet and ran tohim, throwing her arms about
his waist. After giving Henry a long andhealthy squeeze, she let go and peered around his side. WheresMartin?Hesbusy getting ready for a slave party, Henry told her. Rememberhow he played for you at Thanksgiving? Hes going to do it for theslaves tonight and he has to rehearse.Thatsso nice of Martin, isnt it? Cora sighed dreamily. Oh, Henry,dont you just loveMartin?Henryblushed and laughed, and saw Nurse trying not to laugh out of thecorner of his eye. Er, well...Comeplay with me, she urged, taking him by the hand and pulling himover to where Baby Ann awaited. She plopped down on the floor, herlegs folded beneath her. You can be Brindle again, all right?Henrygot down on the floor, out of scale with his surroundings with hislong legs and broad shoulders. Cora held Brindle out to him and hetook the doll gingerly. After a month and a half in the nursery,Brindle looked a little haggard. Her black ringlets were tangled, herhat was missing, and her pink silk dress was wrinkled. However, shestill looked better than Baby Ann, whose wig was actually partiallydetached from her skull now, revealing the cork pate beneath.Although there was a seemingly serviceable doll bed nearby, Baby Annlay on the floor on a pallet of folded blankets, a miniature tea cupand saucer near at hand.Usingthe same creepy little voice she had used for Baby Ann at Christmas,Cora said, Brindle, fetch your violin. I want you to play for me!Oh!Henry was startled by this unexpected development. Does she have aviolin? he asked. It seemed possible that there was a tiny violinsomewhere in this cluttered room.Coralooked at Henry as if he disappointed heractually reminding himvery much of their fatherand said, You have to pretend,Henry.Okay.All right then. Henry held Brindle upright at Baby Anns bedsideand, in a high-pitched voice, asked, What would you like me toplay, Maam?Coraseemed to wince a little at his tone but said nothing discouraging.She said, Play something beautiful,Brindle, in Baby Anns creaky voice, and then, Sing somethingMartin plays, Henry, in her own.Henrydidnt know if it was the sort of thing a little girl would like,but he began to half-hum, half-sing the partita, starting from thebeginning of the first movement, the allemande.Baby Ann stayed flat on her back, but another doll, this one abedraggled blonde in a red floral dress, was put on her feet andtwirled around Baby Anns sickbed while Henry hummed. By the timehe got to the end of the allemande,Henry was less sure of the accuracy of the notes he was sounding, butof course Cora didnt know any better and seemed to find hisperformance delightful.Coraclapped enthusiastically. Oh, Henry, I didnt know you could dothat! She switched back to Baby Anns sepulchral tone and said,Brindle, you provide such good service.Inhis terrible falsetto, Henry said, Youre welcome, Maam.Even though hed been observed only by Cora and Nurse, Henry hadnot enjoyed being the center of attention and was relieved to havecompleted his task.Doanother one! Cora begged, much to Henrys chagrin.Thatsthe only one I know, Henry told her, not exactly lying. Youllhave to wait for Martin to hear more.Whenwill he be done?Cora moaned dramatically.
least; he didnt think their faces were blank.Mybest friend Rose says her big brother is friends with you, Corasaid, giving Henry a friendly nudge with her shoulder. The tinypillow had been successfully wedged into its case, albeit somewhattwisted from true. Put this on the bed in the blue bedroom,please.Henrydid his best to straighten the pillow in its case before putting iton the tiny bed. Her brother is Wendell, right? Yes, werefriends.DoesWendell have a slave like Martin?Henryconsidered Ralph, who was a muscular brown-eyed blond, not reallyappealing to Henry but certainly an attractive enough boy. He wasgood at sports and seemed smart. Wendells Ralph has some thingsin common with Martin, Henry allowed, but theyre not toomuch alike.Rosethinks Ralph must be more handsome than Martin, but shes neverseen Martin, has she?Icant imagine how she would have, Henry agreed. But, listen,Cora, Rose might see Martin and still think Ralph is more attractive.Different people like different things.Butyou think Martin is more handsome, dont you? It wasnt reallya question.Henryfelt his cheeks grow hot, but he told her, Yes, I do. I thoughtMartin was the best one of all as soon as I saw him. It was onlyNurse and Cora hearing him say this, and neither one would use itagainst him.Breathingheavily through parted lips, Cora spent several laborious minutes insetting miniature goblets at each place on the dining table, knockingover most of the chairs in the process. When at last she had thegoblets in place, she turned to Henry and loudly released a heldbreath. That was harder than I thought! Can you help me with thechairs, Henry?Henryshands were so much larger, but his fine motor control was better, andhe set all the chairs to right.Coraput her hand into the parlor and knocked over the father doll in herhurry to get to the black-haired boy. This is you, Henry, eventhough hes so short. She held out the doll for Henry to look atmore closely.Henryexamined the doll, whose resemblance to Henry went no further thanblack hair. The dolls bisque skin was snow white and his paintedeyes were blue.Hedoesnt really look like you, I know, Cora said, with theimplication that she was doing the best she could with what she wasgiven. I want to get him a slave like Martin. One with a face.And glasses.And a violin.Ifit doesnt rain, well go to the shop tomorrow, Nurse said.Remember what I said, though, Miss, that you might have to pretendsome of the details.Iknow,Cora said, her tone verging on bratty. The dolls in the shop mightnot be exactlywhat Im picturing, you told me already. She snorted and rolledher eyes.Dontsass Nurse, Henry said, lightly scolding. She just doesntwant you to be disappointed and upset if there isnt a little dolllooking exactly like Martin when you get to the shop. Clearly,Cora was going to be more exacting about appearance when it came toDollhouse Martin than she had been for Dollhouse Henry.Corasulked a moment while Henry examined the dollhouse bathroom fixtures,the tiny towels and the father dolls minuscule razor and strop. Itwould never have been considered for a little boy, of course, butHenry thought he would have rather
enjoyed a dollhouse when he wassmall. The delicacy and small size of everything were enchanting, ofcourse, and then there was the benign feeling of perfect control onehad while gently presiding over a little world.Asif it took great effort, Cora turned to Nurse and said, Imsorry I sassed you, Nurse.Yourea good girl, Miss, Nurse said. Itll be time for your dinner,soon. Is there anything else you want to show your brother before hehas to go?WasNurse kicking him out? Henry was about to feel hurt until heremembered that the nursery dinner hour was the same as that for theslaves, and Martin would be coming home imminentlyNurse was doinghim a favor.Werelearning to do a schottische in dancing school, Cora said. Doyou want to see me do it? Before Henry could answer, she got toher feet and began to do the steps, singing an appropriate tune in awavering voice.Shecouldnt sing, but she seemed to have good rhythm. When you geta bit taller, we can dance together, Henry told her. He got to hisfeet and dusted off the seat of his trousers.DoesMartin like to dance? she asked breathlessly, hopping and skippingthrough the steps.Hesays so, Henry told her. Ive never had occasion to see himdance, though.WhenIm taller, I can dance with him, too, cant I?Henrystruggled with the desire to tell her adamantly that she could not.Uh...Now,Miss, you know you cant dance with a boy slave, Nurse said, hertone gentle, wheedling. Weve talked about this before, Miss.Oh, of course; there were social restrictions on her doing it, notjust Henrys selfish, possessive ones.Idont want to talk about it again,then! Cora said, shooting Nurse a haughty glare.Benicer to Nurse, Henry said sternly. Promise me you will, or Iwont bring Martin to visit.Ipromise! I promise! Cora became frantic in her efforts to seemsincere. Nurse, Im sorry! Ill be nicer! She threw herselfat Nurse and clung, dramatic and near tears.Ofcourse you will, Miss. Nurse looked down into Coras prettylittle face and smoothed her hair back from her forehead, just as shehad done for Henry when he was young. You try to be a good girl,dont you?Idotry, Cora asserted. Please bring Martin to visit me, Henry.Itmight be for just a minute, Henry cautioned her. Hes busytoday. I dont know if well come up before or after your dinner,all right? Be good for Nurse and youll see him, though.Henryleft the nursery after kissing them both and was back in his roomwith perhaps fifteen minutes to spare before the slaves dinner wasserved. He watched out the window to see if he could spot Martincoming home from the Slattery house, but he must have just missedseeing him leave, as he was startled a few minutes later by a knockon the door.Sir?Martin opened the door a crack.Martin!Henry strode to the door, pulled Martin inside, and hugged himtightly. He kissed his neck and said, I promised my sister wedcome up to see her for a minute. Can we do it before you eat?Martinlooked as though he might like to eat first, actually, but he said,Of course, Henry. Whatever you want. Lets go see Little Miss.Theyclimbed the stairs side-by-side, Henry
giving Martins hand a quicksqueeze. Did your practice go well?Itdid, Sir. I think well do a good job for Billy and Jane.Assoon as Martin knocked on the door, they could hear Coras excitedcries.Isit Martin, Nurse? Is it him?Nurseopened the door and ushered them inside, smiling. Shes happy tosee you, she told Martin. To Henry, she said, Welcome back,Sir.Henryhad been gone just a few minutes, and he had obviously received allthe attention he was going to get from Cora today anyway. Martincrouched down to greet Cora and she threw herself into his arms withabandon.Comesee my dollhouse, Martin. She pulled him over, her hand in his.Theres a doll for Henryalready, and tomorrow Im getting one for youto be his slave, though Nurse says I might have to pretend that itlooks like you. She paused to take a breath. My Henry dolldoesnt really look like Henry, either.Youhave a very good imagination, though, dont you, Miss? It doesntmatter so much if the doll is exactly right if you have a goodimagination.Idohave a verygood imagination, Cora agreed, pleased. She directed his attentionback to the dollhouse. Look, see, I put goblets at all the placesat the table. Thats so the family can drink champagne, even thechildren. Remember, I had some at Thanksgiving?Ido remember, Miss. As I recall, you werent sure whether you likedit or not.Ivethought about it some more, and now Im sure I liked it after all.Itsnice for special occasions, isnt it, Miss?WhileCora chattered at Martin, Henry turned to Nurse. I wasntanything like her when I was little, was I?Oh,well, you were a much quieter child, Sir, and very shy. Little Misscertainly isnt shy. Nurse chuckled at the notion of a shy Cora.Even with your uncle, who you loved so dearly, you were a littlestandoffish.Itsgood for her, I suppose, that shes outgoing. Henry was a littlejealous of Cora and her boldness, her confidence. With a little ofthat for himself, he might have taken Martin to bed within minutes ofbringing him home from auction. With a little of that, he might notbe so worried about Valentines Day.Notall gentlemen appreciate a saucy girl, though, Sir, Nurse pointedout. It can be a struggle for Little Miss to remember to behavelike a lady.Sheneeds to remember that ladies dont court gentlemen, much less maleslaves, Henry said, an unbecoming acidity to his tone, and heblushed to hear himself sound so petty.Certainly,shell need to remember that, Sir, Nurse said, patting his arm.But shes scarcely more than a baby, and hes a lovely boy.Surely shes doing no harm with her fancies.Henrywas ashamed of himself. Cora was no threat to what he had withMartinshe was a child and a girl, neither of which were of anyinterest to Martin.Imust say, Sir, when Little Miss is of age, I hope she finds a girlshe likes as well as you like your Martin.Henryfelt his face grow hot as a furnace at the idea of his little sisterfeeling for anyonemale or femalewhat he felt for Martin.Sincehes come, Sir, you do seem much happier, if you dont mind mysaying so.Youcan say so, Henry said, his face so hot it tingled.Itsnot talked
about, of course, Sir, but there are plenty of gentlemenwhose closest bond is with a companion and not a spouse. Here shelowered her voice further. Your own father, for one.Well,Father has that other Here Henry stopped himself. Surely, Nurseknew about Mrs. Murdock and her son, but it wasnt the sort ofthing he should talk to her about. Yes, he said. Father isvery close to Timothy.Itsimportant that you have someone to love, Sir, Nurse said. Youhave such a capacity for love.Henryfound all of this very embarrassing, yet he liked feeling understood,known. He imagined that Nurse knew exactly how close he was to Martinand that she thought it was just fine.Didyou ever wish you had someone to love besides me and Cora? Agentleman friend?Whosto say I dont have one, Sir? Nurse waggled an eyebrow at him,and he laughed. But, no, Ive never needed anyone else. Besides,someday youll have children and Ill take care of them, too.There will always be someone for me, Sir.Willyou be coming to Billys wedding?Oh,no, Sir. I cant leave Little Miss alone.Couldntsomeone else...?MissPearl has to stay with your mother, Sir, and none of the other ladiesknow your sister well enough to sit up with her. In any case, Ivegiven Billy and Jane my good wishes already.Doyou think I should take them a present? Im not sure what Id getfor them, but I could take something,couldnt I?Slavesdont need presents like free people, Sir. Billy and Jane wontbe setting up a household of their own, after all. People will bringthem goodwill and liquor and theyll consider themselves fortunate.Just go and have a good time. Nurse reached for his hand andsqueezed it.Therewas a knock at the door and Nurse opened it to Paul with a cart withCoras dinner and her own. While Nurse set out the food on thelittle table, Henry went to stand behind Martin, looking at thedollhouse. Martin was helping Cora move furniture around in the roomsassigned to Dollhouse Henry and the future Dollhouse Martin.Isit more like your room now, Martin? Cora asked.Asfar as Henry could see, it was nothing like, but Martin said, Oh,yes, Miss, its exactly how I have things.Cora,Martin needs to go down for his dinner now, Henry said in a low,firm voice, one which he intended to brook no dissent. Youllhave to say goodbye for now.Oh,Henry, no! Cora begged, clutching at Martins sleeve.Doyou want Martin to go hungry? Henry asked. Idont, so its time for him to go.Couldnthe eat here with me?Theresnot enough food, Henry pointed out. Theres only food for youand Nurse.Canwe all eat together again someday? Like we did at Thanksgiving?Wecan talk about it, Henry said. Say goodbye to Martin now,please.Henry...Miss,Nurse said in her sternest voice, which had always frightened Henryinto doing whatever he was told; Cora seemed more resistant, however.Miss, the boys have been very generous with their time today. Begracious.Scowling,Cora said, Yes, Nurse. She hugged Martin again and her hungerfor him and his attention embarrassed Henry, as it seemed not sodifferent from his own neediness. She allowed Henry to kiss hercheek, but clearly resented him for taking Martin away from her.Henry and Martin both