FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   96   97   98   99   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   >>   >|  
y of society. She would do her best, of course, to preserve the hateful truth that had been so cunningly covered up by the lies of Mrs. Standish's first invention; but she would do that best, if possible, more by keeping silence than by coining and uttering fresh falsehoods. "Not so well last night," she confessed. "I don't know what was the matter with me, but somehow I didn't seem even to want to sleep." "I know," Mrs. Gosnold nodded wisely. "I'm not yet old enough to have forgotten these midsummer moonlight nights of ours. When I was a girl and being courted, from this very house, I know I used to wait until everybody had gone to bed and creep out and wander for hours . . ." Her pause invited confidences. And momentarily Sally's heart thumped like a trip-hammer. Did she, then, either know or guess? "I did that last night," she responded; "but I hadn't your excuse." "You mean, you're not being courted? Don't be impatient. Once to every woman--once too often to most. And it's well to take one's time nowadays. Perhaps it's a sign of age, and I shouldn't own it, but it does seem to me that the young men of to-day are an uncommonly godless crew. I should be sorry to have you make a mistake . . ." She contented herself with that much warning and no more; but Sally knew their thoughts were one, focused upon a singular though by no means strange example of the young men of the present day. "I think," her employer pursued, with a look excusing the transient keenness of her scrutiny, "our Island air agrees with you. If you have had one poor night, all the same you're quite another girl than the one who came here--was it only four days ago? I hope you're quite comfortable." "Oh, yes, indeed." "And would you care to stay on?" "With all my heart!" "I see no reason why you shouldn't. I like you very well; you're quick and willing--and you humour my weakness for the respect of my associates. I don't ask for their dependence. If you like, we'll say your engagement begins to-day, the first of the week." "You are very kind." "I'm very selfish. I like intelligence, prettiness, and youth--must have them at any cost! So that's understood. Of course, there are certain questions to be settled, arrangements to be made. For example, I assume responsibility for your losses at bridge, because playing when I wish you to is one of your duties. But these matters adjust themselves as they come up from time to time."
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   96   97   98   99   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
shouldn
 

courted

 

agrees

 
matters
 

duties

 

Island

 

scrutiny

 

strange

 

singular

 

thoughts


focused

 
present
 

keenness

 
transient
 
employer
 

pursued

 

excusing

 

adjust

 

begins

 

engagement


selfish

 

arrangements

 

responsibility

 

assume

 

intelligence

 
settled
 

understood

 

prettiness

 

questions

 

playing


bridge

 

reason

 
respect
 

associates

 

dependence

 

weakness

 

humour

 

losses

 

comfortable

 

forgotten


midsummer
 
wisely
 

nodded

 

Gosnold

 

moonlight

 
nights
 

covered

 
cunningly
 
Standish
 

invention