Christmas at the Cross Keys, by Kenner Deene (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 edition. Excerpt: ... Alick Clyde's unworthiness, heartlessness, shallowness. She knew she could never marry him, she understood the full value of his social rank, and the immense space that separated them, the thought of such a thing was madness, but his unconscious coldness, his apathy to all she had suffered, his undervaluing of her affection; these things stung her to the soul, she almost began to despise Alick Clyde. Miss Lucy Robarts, in Framley Parsonage when trying to analyse the cause of her love for Lord Lufton, comes to the conclusion, that it was his well-formed legs she was enamoured of; many of us, if we were to enquire as strictly into the reasons of our infatuation, would be equally startled at the result. Nine cases out of ten there is not any better cause for the rhapsodies we get into about our fellow creatures, than the one Miss Lucy alleged. Rose got up and dressed herself, because she could not sleep, and she lighted a lamp, and determined to go and search for a book, all her own were left with her luggage at St. John's, but she thought there might happily be an odd volume of the Spectator on the shelf in the little parlour, and to while away an hour with this quaint tome seemed pleasanter to her than lying awake. And why have I loved A lick Clyde, she asked herself? Don't you think, reader, you who have seen into his nature; don't you think that his crisp curling hair was perhaps greatly to blame for. all poor Rose had suffered? Just as Rose came out of her room, a sweet weird-like strain of music broke into the stillness of the night, and thrilled deliciously to her very soul. It was but an old world air, but one whose every chord is melody methinks, but then I have a weakness for old simple tunes, which not all the performances at the...