FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306  
307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   >>   >|  
uch? Pf!" He snapped his fingers. "Can I turn them into gold?" "I'm afraid not," she laughed. They looked into each other's eyes, laughing. At that moment they became aware of Miriam. There was a click, and everything had altered. "Hello, Miriam!" he exclaimed. "You said you'd come!" "Yes. Had you forgotten?" She shook hands with Clara, saying: "It seems strange to see you here." "Yes," replied the other; "it seems strange to be here." There was a hesitation. "This is pretty, isn't it?" said Miriam. "I like it very much," replied Clara. Then Miriam realised that Clara was accepted as she had never been. "Have you come down alone?" asked Paul. "Yes; I went to Agatha's to tea. We are going to chapel. I only called in for a moment to see Clara." "You should have come in here to tea," he said. Miriam laughed shortly, and Clara turned impatiently aside. "Do you like the chrysanthemums?" he asked. "Yes; they are very fine," replied Miriam. "Which sort do you like best?" he asked. "I don't know. The bronze, I think." "I don't think you've seen all the sorts. Come and look. Come and see which are YOUR favourites, Clara." He led the two women back to his own garden, where the towsled bushes of flowers of all colours stood raggedly along the path down to the field. The situation did not embarrass him, to his knowledge. "Look, Miriam; these are the white ones that came from your garden. They aren't so fine here, are they?" "No," said Miriam. "But they're hardier. You're so sheltered; things grow big and tender, and then die. These little yellow ones I like. Will you have some?" While they were out there the bells began to ring in the church, sounding loud across the town and the field. Miriam looked at the tower, proud among the clustering roofs, and remembered the sketches he had brought her. It had been different then, but he had not left her even yet. She asked him for a book to read. He ran indoors. "What! is that Miriam?" asked his mother coldly. "Yes; she said she'd call and see Clara." "You told her, then?" came the sarcastic answer. "Yes; why shouldn't I?" "There's certainly no reason why you shouldn't," said Mrs. Morel, and she returned to her book. He winced from his mother's irony, frowned irritably, thinking: "Why can't I do as I like?" "You've not seen Mrs. Morel before?" Miriam was saying to Clara. "No; but she's so nice!" "Yes," said Miriam,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306  
307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Miriam

 

replied

 

mother

 

garden

 

shouldn

 

moment

 
strange
 

looked

 
laughed
 
church

sounding

 
things
 
sheltered
 

hardier

 
tender
 

yellow

 
afraid
 

brought

 
returned
 

reason


fingers

 
snapped
 

winced

 

thinking

 

frowned

 

irritably

 

answer

 

sarcastic

 

remembered

 

sketches


coldly

 

indoors

 

clustering

 
exclaimed
 
shortly
 

called

 

chapel

 

turned

 

impatiently

 

altered


chrysanthemums

 

forgotten

 
realised
 

accepted

 
pretty
 
Agatha
 

raggedly

 
colours
 
flowers
 

towsled