FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  
w the lot that put the five-pound note into her hands; if she had come to the cottage just one day later, or if the rain had gone on just half an hour longer and kept Fritzing indoors, she would, I have no doubt whatever, be still in Symford practising every feeble virtue either on her father or on her John, by this time probably her very own John. As it was she was a thief, a lost soul, a banished face for ever from the ways of grace. Thus are we all the sport of circumstance. Thus was all Symford the sport of Priscilla. Fritzing knew nothing of his loss. He had not told Priscilla a word of his money difficulties, his idea being to keep every cloud from her life as long and as completely as possible. Besides, how idle to talk of these things to some one who could in no way help him with counsel or suggestions. He had put the money in his drawer, and the thought that it was still unchanged and safe comforted him a little in the watches of the sleepless nights. Nothing particular happened on the Thursday morning, except that the second of the twenty-five kept on breaking things, and Priscilla who was helping Fritzing arrange the books he had ordered from London remarked at the fifth terrific smash, a smash so terrific as to cause Creeper Cottage to tremble all over, that more crockery had better be bought. "Yes," said Fritzing, glancing swiftly at her with almost a guilty glance. He felt very keenly his want of resourcefulness in this matter of getting the money over from Germany, but he clung to the hope that a few more wakeful nights would clear his brain and show him the way; and meanwhile there was always the five-pound note in the drawer. "And Fritzi, I shall have to get some clothes soon," Priscilla went on, dusting the books as he handed them to her. "Clothes, ma'am?" repeated Fritzing, straightening himself to stare at her. "Those things you bought for me in Gerstein--they're delicious, they're curiosities, but they're not clothes. I mean always to keep them. I'll have them put in a glass case, and they shall always be near me when we're happy again." "Happy again, ma'am?" "Settled again, I mean," quickly amended Priscilla. She dusted in silence for a little, and began to put the books she had dusted in the shelves. "I'd better write to Paris," she said presently. Fritzing jumped. "Paris, ma'am?" "They've got my measurements. This dress can't stand much more. It's the one I've worn a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Fritzing

 

Priscilla

 
things
 

clothes

 

bought

 
terrific
 

dusted

 
nights
 
drawer
 

Symford


Clothes
 

handed

 

matter

 

dusting

 

resourcefulness

 

straightening

 

repeated

 

keenly

 

cottage

 
wakeful

Germany
 

Fritzi

 

jumped

 
presently
 
measurements
 

shelves

 

curiosities

 
delicious
 

Gerstein

 

glance


amended
 

silence

 

quickly

 
Settled
 

completely

 

Besides

 

feeble

 

counsel

 

virtue

 
father

difficulties

 
banished
 

circumstance

 
suggestions
 
practising
 

Creeper

 
Cottage
 

London

 

remarked

 
tremble