FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   >>   >|  
! I am very much afraid for you now, Alick," she proceeded with mock gravity. "What hope can a poor Captain of Highlanders, even if he does happen to be a wounded hero or two, have against a distinguished essayist and landscape painter; if it were a common case indeed, but where Wisdom herself is concerned--" "Military frivolity cannot hope," returned Alick, with a shake of his head, and a calm matter-of-fact acquiescent tone. "Ah, poor Alick," pursued his sister, "you always were a discreet youth; but to be connected with such a union of learning, social science, and homeaopathy, soared beyond my utmost ambition. I suppose the wedding tour--supposing the happy event to take place--will be through a series of model schools and hospitals, ending in Hanwell." "No," said Alick, equally coolly, "to the Dutch reformatory, and the Swiss cretin asylum." She was exceedingly tickled at his readiness, and proceeded in a pretended sentimental tone, "I am glad you have revealed the secrets of your breast. I saw there was a powerful attraction and that you were no longer your own, but my views were humbler. I thought the profound respect with which you breathed the name of Avonmouth, was due to the revival of the old predilection for our sweet little--" "Hush, Bessie," said her brother, roused for the first time into sternness, "this is more than nonsense. One word more of this, and you will cut me off from my greatest rest and pleasure." "From the lawn where croquet waits his approbation," was on Bessie's tongue, but she did not say it. There were moments when she stood in fear of her brother. He paused, and as if perceiving that his vehemence was in itself suspicious, added, "Remember, I never met her from seven years old till after her marriage. She has been the kindest of friends in right of our fathers' old friendship. You know how her mother nursed me, and the sister she was to me. And Bessie, if your selfishness--I wish I could call it thoughtlessness--involves her innocent simplicity in any scrape, derogatory to what is becoming her situation, I shall find it very hard to forgive you, and harder still to forgive myself for letting you come here." Bessie pouted for a moment, but her sweetness and good humour were never away. "There, you have given your wicked little sister a screed," she said, looking insinuatingly up at him. "Just as if I did not think her a darling, and would not for the world do anything to s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Bessie
 

sister

 

forgive

 
brother
 
proceeded
 
paused
 

vehemence

 

Remember

 

roused

 

suspicious


perceiving
 
moments
 

croquet

 

greatest

 

pleasure

 

approbation

 

sternness

 

nonsense

 

tongue

 

mother


pouted
 

moment

 

sweetness

 
humour
 

letting

 
harder
 
darling
 

screed

 

wicked

 

insinuatingly


situation

 

fathers

 
friendship
 
friends
 

kindest

 
marriage
 

nursed

 

simplicity

 

scrape

 

derogatory


innocent

 

involves

 
selfishness
 

thoughtlessness

 
matter
 
acquiescent
 

Military

 

concerned

 
frivolity
 

returned