FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   >>  
eps up and down the room. "Listen to me, dear friend," he began, in low, earnest tones. "There was a time--far be it from me to take undue advantage of these reminiscences--when you and I were thrown considerably together. At that time, that far-off, happy, and yet most tantalising time, I was bold enough to cherish certain aspirations." Here he took up his position behind a chair, resting his hands lightly on the back of it. "That those aspirations were not wholly unsuspected by you I had reason to believe. I may, of course, have been mistaken; love, or vanity if you prefer it, may blind the wisest of us. In any case, if I was vain, my pride came to the rescue, and sooner than incur the humiliation of a refusal--possibly a scornful refusal--I kept my secret locked in the inmost sanctuary of my heart, and went away." Mr Ogilvie illustrated his disappearance into vacancy by a slight but most expressive gesture of his arms. "I simply went away. And now I have come back. I have unburdened myself before you. In the years that are past, I was silent. Now I have spoken. And I am here to know what answer you have in your heart to give me." It had actually come. She remembered how she had told herself that, though she could never dream of marrying, it really would be very pleasant to be asked. But now that the proposal had been made she felt most horribly embarrassed. What in the world was she to say to the man? She knew him not one bit better than she had done when she saw him last. He puzzled her more than ever. He did not look like a despairing lover, but a singularly plump and prosperous gentleman; and certainly the silver-grey frock-coat, and gold eye-glass, and varnished shoes struck her as singularly out of harmony with the extraordinary speech he had just delivered. Yet it was evidently impromptu, and possibly would never have been delivered at all had not she herself so blunderingly led up to it. And it was not a bad speech in its way. There was something really effective about it--or perhaps it was in the manner of its delivery. So she sat in silence, most dreadfully ill at ease, and not finding a single word wherewith to answer him. "Charlotte," said Mr Ogilvie in a low voice, bending over her, "Charlotte." "Mr Ogilvie!" gasped the unhappy lady, almost frightened out of her wits. "You _once_ called me Granville," he murmured, trying to take her hand. "But I can't do it again!" cried Aunt Charlotte, shakin
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   >>  



Top keywords:
Ogilvie
 

Charlotte

 

delivered

 

speech

 
answer
 

singularly

 
possibly
 

refusal

 
aspirations
 
despairing

called

 

prosperous

 

gentleman

 

Granville

 

puzzled

 
murmured
 
silver
 

shakin

 

horribly

 
embarrassed

single

 

blunderingly

 

wherewith

 

finding

 

manner

 

delivery

 

silence

 

dreadfully

 
effective
 
struck

frightened

 
varnished
 

harmony

 

bending

 

evidently

 

impromptu

 

unhappy

 
extraordinary
 

gasped

 
silent

resting

 

lightly

 

position

 
wholly
 
prefer
 

vanity

 

wisest

 

mistaken

 

unsuspected

 

reason