FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  
d full of an instinctive, mutual understanding. I do not know whether that seems an exaggeration to you or not. Has the same idea ever crossed your mind?" She said something, or tried to say something, but the words were inaudible; he interpreted them as expressive of assent, and went on, in a musing tone, as though talking quite as much to himself as to her. "And that is the reason why it seems as though we must be more than friends, though we have known each other so short a time. Perhaps it is too much to say." He hesitated, and paused. Unorna breathed hard, not daring to think of what might be coming next. He talked so calmly, in such an easy tone, it was impossible that he could be making love. She remembered the vibrations in his voice when, a month ago, he had told her his story. She remembered the inflection of the passionate cry he had uttered when he had seen the shadow of Beatrice stealing between them, she knew the ring of his speech when he loved, for she had heard it. It was not there now. And yet, the effort not to believe would have been too great for her strength. "Nothing that you could say would be--" she stopped herself--"would pain me," she added, desperately, in the attempt to complete the sentence. He looked somewhat surprised, and then smiled. "No. I shall never say anything, nor do anything, which could give you pain. What I meant was this. I feel towards you, and with you, as I can fancy a man might feel to a dear sister. Can you understand that?" In spite of herself she started. He had but just said that he would never give her pain. He did not guess what cruel wounds he was inflicting now. "You are surprised," he said, with intolerable self-possession. "I cannot wonder. I remember to have very often thought that there are few forms of sentimentality more absurd than that which deceives a man into the idea that he can with impunity play at being a brother to a young and beautiful woman. I have always thought so, and I suppose that in whatever remains of my indolent intelligence I think so still. But intelligence is not always so reliable as instinct. I am not young enough nor foolish enough either, to propose that we should swear eternal brother-and-sisterhood--or perhaps I am not old enough, who can tell? Yet I feel how perfectly safe it would be for either of us." The steel had been thrust home, and could go no farther. Unorna's unquiet temper rose at his quiet declaration
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Unorna
 

brother

 

remembered

 

intelligence

 

surprised

 
thought
 
wounds
 

remember

 
inflicting
 

possession


intolerable

 

instinctive

 
unquiet
 

temper

 
declaration
 

farther

 
understand
 
sister
 

started

 

reliable


indolent

 

perfectly

 

instinct

 

eternal

 

sisterhood

 

foolish

 

propose

 

remains

 

deceives

 

impunity


absurd

 
sentimentality
 

thrust

 

suppose

 

beautiful

 
desperately
 

hesitated

 
paused
 

breathed

 
Perhaps

daring
 

coming

 
impossible
 
exaggeration
 

making

 

talked

 
calmly
 

musing

 
assent
 

expressive