FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88  
89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   >>   >|  
hown round' by anybody, and I'm not going to bore YOU with asking to see sights either. We'll just walk together; wherever YOU'RE going is good enough for me." "I'm going as far as the village," said Miss Amelyn, looking down doubtfully at Sadie's smart French shoes--"if you care to walk so far." Sadie noticed that her companion was more solidly booted, and that her straight, short skirts, although less stylish than her own, had a certain character, better fitted to the freer outdoor life of the country. But she only said, however, "The village will do," and gayly took her companion's arm. "But I'm afraid you'll find it very uninteresting, for I am going to visit some poor cottages," persisted Miss Amelyn, with a certain timid ingenuousness of manner which, however, was as distinct as Miss Desborough's bolder frankness. "I promised the rector's daughter to take her place to-day." "And I feel as if I was ready to pour oil and wine to any extent," said Miss Desborough, "so come along!" Miss Amelyn laughed, and yet glanced around her timidly, as if she thought that Miss Desborough ought to have a larger and more important audience. Then she continued more confidentially and boldly, "But it isn't at all like 'slumming,' you know. These poor people here are not very bad, and are not at all extraordinary." "Never mind," said Sadie, hurrying her along. After a pause she went on, "You know the Priory very well, I guess?" "I lived there when I was a little girl, with my aunt, the Dowager Lady Beverdale," said Miss Amelyn. "When my cousin Fred, who was the young heir, died, and the present Lord Beverdale succeeded,--HE never expected it, you know, for there were two lives, his two elder brothers, besides poor Fred's, between, but they both died,--we went to live in the Dower House." "The Dower House?" repeated Sadie. "Yes, Lady Beverdale's separate property." "But I thought all this property--the Priory--came into the family through HER." "It did--this was the Amelyns' place; but the oldest son or nearest male heir always succeeds to the property and title." "Do you mean to say that the present Lord Beverdale turned that old lady out?" Miss Amelyn looked shocked. "I mean to say," she said gravely, "Lady Beverdale would have had to go when her own son became of age, had he lived." She paused, and then said timidly, "Isn't it that way in America?" "Dear no!" Miss Desborough had a faint recollection
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88  
89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Beverdale
 

Amelyn

 

Desborough

 
property
 

timidly

 
thought
 

Priory

 

present

 

companion

 

village


expected

 
brothers
 

repeated

 

sights

 

Dowager

 

succeeded

 

cousin

 

gravely

 

shocked

 
looked

recollection

 

America

 
paused
 

turned

 

family

 

Amelyns

 

oldest

 
succeeds
 

nearest

 
separate

cottages

 

persisted

 

booted

 

solidly

 
uninteresting
 

ingenuousness

 

manner

 
promised
 

rector

 

daughter


frankness

 
bolder
 

distinct

 

noticed

 

afraid

 

outdoor

 

fitted

 

stylish

 

character

 

country