FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   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   >>   >|  
on--on beneath the loaded boughs of the fruit garden, and on by the low sod wall, then out in the open, and finally into gloom beneath the drooping, feathery branches of the willows. It was a silence unbroken by either, unless-- unless for a soft shuddering sigh, which followed upon a long kiss. In the dark and velvety moonless vault great constellations flashed as though they were fires, throwing out the black loom of the distant mountains away beyond the open waste, and flaming down into the smooth mirror of the water, upon which the willow boughs trailed. Even beneath the shadowy gloom their light pierced; shining upon the white dress, and throwing the large, supple figure of the girl into ghostly relief. "I love you, Mona. Here on the very spot where we first beheld each other, I tell you I love you. And you had better have let me fall to my death, shattered to atoms that day, than that I should tell it you." The tone, a trifle unsteady, but firm and low, was rather that of a man unfolding a revelation of a painful but wholly unavoidable nature than the joyous certainty of a lover, who knew his passion was returned in measure as full as the most ardent could possibly desire. But the girl for a moment made no answer. Her lips were slightly parted in a smile of unutterable contentment, and the light in her eyes was visible under the stars. Again he kissed the upturned lips, long and tenderly as he had never done before. "Yes. This is the spot where we first met," she said at last, with a glad laugh in her voice. "My hammock was slung there--and look, there it is still. I remember so well what we were talking about that day. Grace was predicting that my time would certainly come, and I said I didn't believe anything of the kind, but I rather hoped it would. And I had hardly said so when--oh, darling! _you_ came up! And it has all been so entrancingly sweet ever since. Life has been entirely different, and I am quite a transformed being." Thus she ran on--almost rattled on, so airy, so bright and joyous was her tone. But it was so with a purpose; for all her pulses were thrilling; her very mind seemed to reel beneath the surpressed strength of her feeling. She felt giddy. The great stars in the dark vault overhead seemed to be whirling round. With heart panting, she leaned heavily upon the arms which encircled her, then tried to speak, to whisper, but could not. "Dear, I ought not to have t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
beneath
 

joyous

 

throwing

 

boughs

 

predicting

 
talking
 
remember
 

finally

 
upturned
 

tenderly


hammock

 

whisper

 
loaded
 

darling

 
thrilling
 

panting

 
pulses
 
purpose
 

leaned

 

rattled


bright

 

surpressed

 

overhead

 

whirling

 

strength

 

feeling

 

kissed

 

entrancingly

 

garden

 

encircled


transformed

 
heavily
 

constellations

 

flashed

 

beheld

 
moonless
 

velvety

 
shattered
 

relief

 
ghostly

mirror
 

willow

 
trailed
 
smooth
 

flaming

 

shadowy

 
supple
 

figure

 
distant
 

pierced