FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   >>  
nking aloud. But now Mildred's sudden exclamation of happiness made his eyes soften into a look of kindliness that again reminded the girl of her father. "But, my child, you must not hope too much," he remonstrated. "The Czar may not feel as I do about your friend. After your service to me there is little you could desire which I would not wish to give you." One would never have thought of General Alexis as a great soldier at this moment. The heavy lines of his face had gone. There was no sternness about his mouth. His eyes, which were so surprisingly blue because of his other dark coloring, gazed at Mildred's until for an instant she dropped the lids over her own, feeling embarrassed without exactly knowing why. The next moment she looked directly at the man, whom she felt sure was her friend, in spite of the differences in their ages, their rank and their countries. "General Alexis, I am going to ask you to do me a favor--no, I don't mean about Sonya this time. I shall be more grateful than I can even try to say for that kindness. But this is something which does not concern anyone except just you and me. Will you never in the future speak or think of the service which you are good enough to say I have rendered you." Actually, Mildred was now twisting her hands together in the old nervous fashion which she thought she had overcome. "It is difficult for me to say things," she went on, "but I want you to know that the greatest honor I shall ever have in my life was the privilege of nursing you. If I did help make you well, why I am so happy and proud the favor is on my side and not yours." And Mildred ended with a slight gasp, feeling her cheeks burning in spite of the cold, so unaccustomed was she to making long speeches or to revealing her emotions. "Miss Thornton," General Alexis returned. Then instead of finishing his sentence he leaned over and touched his coachman. "Stop the sleigh for a moment. We are growing cold. It will be better for us to walk for ten or fifteen minutes and then come back to the sleigh." Again he spoke to Mildred. "You will come with me for a little?" he asked. "It will be wiser for you not to grow stiff with sitting still." Afterwards he said something to Lieutenant Orlaff, to which he and Nona agreed. Five minutes later Mildred was walking across the snow toward the river, with her hand resting on General Alexis' arm. She was colder than she had imagined and it was difficul
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   >>  



Top keywords:

Mildred

 

General

 

Alexis

 
moment
 
thought
 

sleigh

 
feeling
 

minutes

 

friend

 

service


resting
 

walking

 

slight

 

nursing

 

colder

 
difficul
 

difficult

 

things

 

overcome

 
fashion

nervous

 
privilege
 

imagined

 

greatest

 

unaccustomed

 

sitting

 

growing

 
Afterwards
 

fifteen

 

coachman


touched

 

speeches

 

revealing

 

emotions

 

agreed

 

burning

 

making

 

Lieutenant

 

finishing

 

sentence


leaned

 

Thornton

 

returned

 

Orlaff

 

cheeks

 

soldier

 
desire
 

coloring

 

surprisingly

 

sternness