Claudia (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. PAST AND PRESENT. John Brevookt walked rapidly a mile or more. Before he had reached the end of his journey he began to think in this fashion: ? " What an odd, delightful evening. But for the quaint surroundings I might have fancied myself back in the city. Who would have dreamed of finding two such girls in that lonely old tumble-down ! Although they seem to understand the world so well, I question if they ever had a glimpse of it. So different from anything in Crofton ! And that Claudia ? with what a regal air she said ' My mother was a descendant of the old May-Flower pilgrims.' She has their pure pride, their stamina, their lofty, rigid port. How hard and cold, how pitiless she could he ! No, I don't like those old pilgrims over well. They savor too strongly of witch-burning, and the like. May be her clear eyes could not have been so easily blinded. What eyes for a woman fair and young ! Not handsome, as that bright, piquant Rose. O, Rose of the world, what a stir you would make in a gay city. Your loveliness is wasted upon the desert air of Crofton. " No wonder people in this stupid little place pronounce them peculiar. Very far indeed in advance of the Croftonites. I wonder if strangers ever talked in such a fashion before ? uttered so many truths, paid so little heed to conventionalities. You cannot put Claudia off with a jest or sham argument. She will know the truth. I promise myself a deal of pleasure in their companionship during the long winter evenings. It exhilarates like rare wine. John Brevoort, you have falleninto Paradise, figuratively speaking. But beware of a more dangerous fall. There's too stern a battle still before you, too much hard work yet to be done, for you to indulge in dreams of love and luxury. Love ? pshaw ! " And being forewarn...