FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  
e said, in a tremulous whisper. "Laurence, I have come." "My own brave little girl!" A tall figure stepped forward from beneath a tree, too warm hands clasped hers. "Norry, you're a trump, by Jove! Come out at once. All is ready. You must fly with me to-night." But she shrank back--shocked, terrified, yet longing with all her soul to obey. "No, no!" she cried. "I can never go--never! never! never! O Lawrence! I have come here to bid you good-by forever!" His answer was to laugh aloud. His face was flushed his blue eyes gleaming--Mr. Laurence Thorndyke, bold enough at all times, had primed himself with brandy for to-night's work, until he was ready to face and defy devils and men. "Good-by forever!" he repeated. "Yes, that's so likely, my darling. Come out here, Norry--come out. I've no notion of talking with a five-barred gate between us. So old Gilbert came down to his wedding this afternoon didn't he? By Jupiter! what a row there will be to-morrow, when the cage is opened, and the bird found flown." He laughed recklessly aloud, as he opened the gate and drew her out. "Not if I know it, Norry. No dry-as-dust, grim, solemn owl of a lawyer for my little Canadian rosebud, old as the everlasting hills, and priggish as the devil. No, no! we'll change all that. Before morning dawns you and I will be safely in Boston, and before another night falls you'll be my blessed little wife--the loveliest bride from Maine to Florida, and I the most blissful of bridegrooms. All is ready--here are my horse and buggy--the sloop sails in an hour, and then--let them catch us who can!" Either the excitement of his triumph, or the French brandy, had set Mr. Laurence Thorndyke half wild. He drew her with him, heedless of her struggles, her passionate protest. "Can't go? Oh, that's all bosh, my darling! you've got to come. I love you, and you love me--(sounds like a child's valentine, don't it?)--and you don't care that for old Dick Gilbert. You won't go? If you don't I'll shoot myself before morning--I swear I will! You don't want me to shoot myself, do you? I can't live without you, Norry, and I don't mean to try. After we're married, and the honeymoon's over, I'll fetch you back to the old folks if you like, upon my sacred honor I will. Not a word now, my little angel, I won't listen. Of course you've scruples, and all that. I think the more of you for them, but you'll thank me for not listening one day. Here's the c
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Laurence

 

forever

 

morning

 
darling
 
opened
 

Gilbert

 
brandy
 

Thorndyke

 

scruples

 

bridegrooms


blissful
 

Florida

 

loveliest

 

safely

 

Boston

 
change
 

Before

 

listening

 

listen

 
blessed

honeymoon

 
priggish
 

valentine

 

sounds

 

married

 

French

 

triumph

 
excitement
 

Either

 

sacred


passionate

 

protest

 

struggles

 

heedless

 

Lawrence

 

shocked

 

terrified

 

longing

 

answer

 

primed


gleaming

 

flushed

 

shrank

 

figure

 

stepped

 

forward

 
tremulous
 

beneath

 

clasped

 

whisper