The Project Gutenberg EBook of What Answer?, by Anna E. Dickinson

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: What Answer?

Author: Anna E. Dickinson

Release Date: March 18, 2005 [EBook #15402]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT ANSWER? ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci and the PG Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.

WHAT ANSWER?

Anna E. Dickinson

1868

WHAT ANSWER?

CHAPTER I

"_In flower of youth and beauty's pride._"

DRYDEN

A crowded New York street,--Fifth Avenue at the height of the afternoon;
a gallant and brilliant throng. Looking over the glittering array, the
purple and fine linen, the sweeping robes, the exquisite equipages, the
stately houses; the faces, delicate and refined, proud, self-satisfied,
that gazed out from their windows on the street, or that glanced from
the street to the windows, or at one another,--looking over all this,
being a part of it, one might well say, "This is existence, and beside
it there is none other. Let us dress, dine, and be merry! Life is good,
and love is sweet, and both shall endure! Let us forget that hunger and
sin, sorrow and self-sacrifice, want, struggle, and pain, have place in
the world." Yet, even with the words, "poverty, frost-nipped in a summer
suit," here and there hurried by; and once and again through the
restless tide the sorrowful procession of the tomb made way.

More than one eye was lifted, and many a pleasant greeting passed
between these selected few who filled the street and a young man who
lounged by one of the overlooking windows; and many a comment was
uttered upon him when the greeting was made:--

"A most eligible _parti_!"

"Handsome as a god!"

"O, immensely rich, I assure you!"

"_Isn't_ he a beauty!"

"Pity he wasn't born poor!"

"Why?"

"O, because they say he carried off all the honors at college and
law-school, and is altogether overstocked with brains for a man who has
no need to use them."

"Will he practise?"

"Doubtful. Why should he?"

"Ambition, power,--gratify one, gain the other."

"Nonsense! He'll probably go abroad and travel for a while,