FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78  
79   80   >>  
olemnly, and he felt that now he was acting from no impulse, but from a wisely considered decision which he might not fail in without culpability, "because I love you." "Oh!" said Clementina, and she started away from him. "I knew that it would make me detestable!" he cried, bitterly. "I had to tell you, to explain what I did. I couldn't help doing it. But now if you can forget it, and never think of me again, I can go away, and try to atone for it somehow. I shall be guided." Clementina did not know why she ought to feel affronted or injured by what he had said to her; but if Mr. Gregory thought it was wrong for him to have spoken so, it must be wrong. She did not wish him to feel badly, even if he had done wrong, but she had to take his view of what he had done. "Why, suttainly, Mr. Gregory," she answered. "You mustn't mind it." "But I do mind it. I have been very, very selfish, very thoughtless. We are both too young. I can't ask you to wait for me till I could marry--" The word really frightened Clementina. She said, "I don't believe I betta promise." "Oh, I know it!" said Gregory. "I am going away from here. I am going to-morrow as soon as I can arrange--as soon as I can get away. Good-night--I"--Clementina in her agitation put her hands up to her face. "Oh, don't cry--I can't bear to have you cry." She took down her hands. "I'm not crying! But I wish I had neva seen those slippas." They had come to the bank of the river, whose current quivered at that point in a scaly ripple in the moonlight. At her words Gregory suddenly pulled the box from under his arm, and flung it into the stream as far as he could. It caught upon a shallow of the ripple, hung there a moment, then loosed itself, and swam swiftly down the stream. "Oh!" Clementina moaned. "Do you want them back?" he demanded. "I will go in for them!" "No, no! No. But it seemed such a--waste!" "Yes, that is a sin, too." They climbed silently to the hotel. At Mrs. Atwell's door, he spoke. "Try to forget what I said, and forgive me, if you can." "Yes--yes, I will, Mr. Gregory. You mustn't think of it any moa." XII. Clementina did not sleep till well toward morning, and she was still sleeping when Mrs. Atwell knocked and called in to her that her brother Jim wanted to see her. She hurried down, and in the confusion of mind left over from the night before she cooed sweetly at Jim as if he had been Mr. Gregory, "What is it, Jim
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78  
79   80   >>  



Top keywords:

Gregory

 

Clementina

 

Atwell

 
stream
 
ripple
 

forget

 
quivered
 

shallow

 

current

 

moment


moonlight
 

loosed

 

pulled

 

caught

 

suddenly

 
sleeping
 

knocked

 

called

 

morning

 
brother

wanted

 
sweetly
 

hurried

 

confusion

 

demanded

 

swiftly

 

moaned

 
climbed
 

forgive

 

silently


explain

 

couldn

 

injured

 

thought

 

spoken

 

affronted

 

guided

 

bitterly

 

considered

 

decision


wisely

 

impulse

 

olemnly

 

acting

 

detestable

 

started

 
culpability
 

arrange

 

agitation

 

morrow