United States or New Zealand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"You want to be careful," her father repeated. "I will I will, indeed." Her lips quivered, and the tears came, which Lanfear had to keep from flowing by what quick turn he could give to something else. An obscure sense of the painful incident must have lingered with her after its memory had perished.
She is an invalid in my charge." A change quite indefinable except as the visible transition from coxcomb to gentleman passed over the young lieutenant's comely face. "An invalid?" he faltered. "Yes," Lanfear began; and then, with a rush of confidence which the change in the officer's face justified, "one very strangely, very tragically afflicted.
Lanfear was still inwardly demurring, when a stalwart peasant girl came in and announced that she had one donkey which they could have with her own services driving it. She had no saddle, but there was a pad on which the young lady could ride. "Oh, well, take it for Nannie," Mr. Gerald directed; "only don't be gone too long."
"Oh, here's the doctor, now," a voice said behind them where they stood by the garden wall, and they turned to confront Gerald with his daughter. "Why! Are you going?" she said to the Englishman, and she put out her hand to him. "Yes, Mr. Evers is going." Lanfear came to the rescue. "Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, and the youth responded. "That's very good of you. I good-by!
It was very simple, as the life in it must always have been; and Lanfear wondered if the elemental charm of the scene made itself felt by his companion as they climbed the angles of the inclines, in a silence broken only by the picking of the donkey's hoofs on the rude mosaic of the pavement, and the panting of the peasant girl at its heels.
But Sister Arvilly Lanfear, who happened to be a-standin' in the door as they went off, she said she heard 'em out as fer as the gate a-congratilatin' themselves and the Methodist Meetin' House and the nation on the decesion, for, sez they, "Them angels hain't strong enough to set, and I've known it all the time." And Sister Sylvester Gowdy sez to me, a-rubbin' herachin' armpits
But Sister Lanfear sprunted up, and brung Jacob right into the argument, and the Isrealites who borrowed jewelry of the Egyptians, and then she brung up other old Bible characters, and held 'em up before us. But still we some on us felt dubersome.
He murmured back: "No. She's better. She's not so strong." "Yes," the father murmured. "I understand." What Gerald understood by Lanfear's words might not have been their meaning, but what Lanfear meant was that there was now an interfusion of the past and present in her daily experience.
Lanfear thought he saw his way out of the coil. "I can tell you, quite as frankly as you ask, that Miss Gerald isn't engaged to me." "Then it's somebody else somebody in America! Well, I hope she'll be happy; I never shall." He offered his hand to Lanfear. "I'm off."
"I've been thinking it was a pity I went to mine," Lanfear returned, "though I'm in San Remo for such a short time it's scarcely worth while to change." "Well, perhaps if you came here, you might stay longer. I guess we're booked for the winter, Nannie?" He referred the question to his daughter, who asked Lanfear if he would not have some coffee.
Word Of The Day