FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   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   >>   >|  
n a vigorous sketch, of which herself was the prominent object. And who could blame him? for certainly a lovelier picture, or one more full of harmonious contrast, could hardly have been found, than that presented by the sweet and graceful figure of the rector's daughter, with its surroundings of massive masonry and majestic decay. She all life, a creature of the present, and yet still more of the future, as bright with the sunshine of a hope that could never die; and they, those mouldering stones, that broken tracery, those mossy arches, sad in the desolation of the present, sadder still in the memories of an unenlightened past. Frank finished his sketch, and, holding it behind him, stole gently up to the side of Mary Oliphant. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "a most lovely little bit; and yet, I have the vanity to think that my choice of a subject has been better than your own." "The drawing is, no doubt," she answered; "but I hardly think you can find such a picturesque group as this in any other part of the ruins." "Let us compare, then," he said, and placed his own sketch by the side of hers. "Oh, Frank," she cried, "how can you be so foolish?" At the same time the colour which flushed her face, and the bright smile which lighted it, showed that the folly was not very reprehensible in her eyes. "Is it so very foolish?" he asked, half seriously, half playfully. "Well; I wish I had shown the same kind of folly in my choice of some other things as I have in the choice of a subject." She was about to reply, when suddenly, without any warning, a savage- looking dog dashed into the open space before them, and, making a fierce rush at Mary, caught her by the dress. "Down, you brute, down!" shouted Frank; but the dog still retained his hold, and growled and tossed himself about savagely. Frank had no stick nor weapon of any kind in his hands, but he darted to a heap of loose stones, and snatching one up turned towards the dog. In the meantime, Mary, in extreme terror, had dropped her drawing-pad, and plucking her dress from the fierce creature's mouth, fled with all her speed across the pavement, and sprang up the projecting stones of an old archway. The dog, with a loud yell, followed her, and easily overtook her, as the ascent up which she had climbed presented a broad footing. Utterly terrified, and unconscious of what she was doing, the poor girl clambered higher and higher to escape her enemy. Frank had n
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

choice

 
stones
 

sketch

 
bright
 

fierce

 

foolish

 
subject
 

drawing

 

presented

 

higher


present

 
creature
 

Utterly

 

dashed

 

terrified

 

unconscious

 

warning

 
savage
 

making

 

climbed


plucking

 

suddenly

 

footing

 

escape

 

playfully

 
clambered
 
things
 

ascent

 
pavement
 

savagely


projecting
 

sprang

 

tossed

 

weapon

 
snatching
 

turned

 

reprehensible

 

darted

 
archway
 

terror


easily

 
caught
 

dropped

 

overtook

 

extreme

 
growled
 

retained

 
shouted
 

meantime

 

sunshine