FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  
ur mother: she was so happy about you. Oh, do go back to Mrs. Aylmer; do tell her you didn't mean it. I know she must be very fond of you. It makes me so wretched, so overpoweringly wretched, to think you should have done this for me. Oh, do go back! She will be so glad to receive you. I know a little about her: I know she will receive you with rejoicing." "Do you know what she wants me to do?" he said. He was very white now. He had thrown prudence to the winds. "What?" "You will not like it when I tell you; but you must at least exonerate me: I am obliged to be frank." "Say what you please; I am willing to listen." Trevor dropped once more into a chair. "When I last saw her she made a proposal to me. It was not the first time; it was the second. She wanted me to marry--" "I know," said Florence; "she wants you to marry Kitty. But why not? She is so sweet; she is the dearest girl in all the world." "Hush!" said Trevor. "I do not love her, nor does she love me. I can scarcely bear to tell you all this. It is sacrilegious to think of marriage under such circumstances, and above all things to mention it in connection with a girl like Miss Sharston." Florence found tears springing to her eyes. "You are very good," she said, "too good, to sit here and talk to me. Of course, if you don't love Kitty, there is an end of it. Are you quite sure?" "Positive. I know my own heart too well. I love another." "Another?" Florence had a wild fear for a moment that he was alluding to Bertha Keys. A desperate thought came into her brain. "At any cost, I will open his eyes: I will tell him the truth," she thought. Trevor had come nearer, and was bending forward and trying to take her hand. "You are the one I love," he said. "How can I, who love you with all my heart and soul and strength, who would give my life for you, how can I think of anyone else? It does not matter whether you are the most amiable or the most unamiable woman in the world, Florence: you are the one woman on God's earth for me. Do you hear me, Florence; do you hear me? I love you; I have come to-day to tell you that I give my life to you. I put it into your hands. I didn't mean to speak, but the truth has been wrung from me. Do you hear me, Florence?" Florence certainly did hear, but she did not speak. Trevor had taken her hand, and she did not withdraw it. She was stunned for a moment. The next instant there came over her, sweepin
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Florence
 

Trevor

 

moment

 
thought
 

receive

 

wretched

 

bending

 

nearer


forward

 

rejoicing

 

strength

 
overpoweringly
 

alluding

 
Bertha
 
Another
 

desperate


instant

 

sweepin

 

withdraw

 

stunned

 

amiable

 

matter

 

unamiable

 

mother


dearest

 
exonerate
 

Aylmer

 

obliged

 

scarcely

 

wanted

 

dropped

 

listen


proposal
 

sacrilegious

 

marriage

 

thrown

 

Positive

 

prudence

 

things

 

mention


connection
 
circumstances
 

Sharston

 

springing