The Project Gutenberg EBook of Coniston, Book IV., by Winston Churchill

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Title: Coniston, Book IV.

Author: Winston Churchill

Release Date: October 17, 2004 [EBook #3765]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONISTON, BOOK IV. ***

Produced by Pat Castevans and David Widger

CONISTON

By Winston Churchill

BOOK IV

CHAPTER XI

The next morning Cynthia's heart was heavy as she greeted her new friends
at Miss Sadler's school. Life had made a woman of her long ago, while
these girls had yet been in short dresses, and now an experience had come
to her which few, if any, of these could ever know. It was of no use for
her to deny to herself that she loved Bob Worthington--loved him with the
full intensity of the strong nature that was hers. To how many of these
girls would come such a love? and how many would be called upon to make
such a renunciation as hers had been? No wonder she felt out of place
among them, and once more the longing to fly away to Coniston almost
overcame her. Jethro would forgive her, she knew, and stretch out his
arms to receive her, and understand that some trouble had driven her to
him.

She was aroused by some one calling her name--some one whose voice
sounded strangely familiar. Cynthia was perhaps the only person in the
school that day who did not know that Miss Janet Duncan had entered it.
Miss Sadler certainly knew it, and asked Miss Duncan very particularly
about her father and mother and even her brother. Miss Sadler knew, even
before Janet's unexpected arrival, that Mr. and Mrs. Duncan had come to
Boston after Christmas, and had taken a large house in the Back Bay in
order to be near their son at Harvard. Mrs. Duncan was, in fact, a
Bostonian, and more at home there than at any other place.

Miss Sadler observed with a great deal of astonishment the warm embrace
that Janet bestowed on Cynthia. The occurrence started in Miss Sadler a
train of thought, as a result of which she left the drawing-room where
these reunions were held, and went into her own private study to write a
note. This she addressed to Mrs. Alexander Duncan, at a certain number on
B