Domestic fiction; New England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Strangely enough, she caught her first glimpse of him from a window, as
she had done that day in Eastwood from Miss Abby's room; and, more
strangely still, he was walking as he had been walking that day, by Miss
Avery's side, looking down upon her, while she, with smiles and pretty
eager gestures, looked up at him. For a minute Fidelia was not sure of
the nature of the feelings which the sight awoke within her; but she was
quite sure of one thing--she did not intend to break her engagement to
go with her friend and schoolmate, Mary Holbrook, to Cambridge, to see
at least the outside of the poet's house before she went away. She
listened till she heard them enter the house; and, when she knew them to
be safe in the parlour, she went softly downstairs and out into the
street; and, though she felt a little ashamed of herself for running
away, she laughed heartily as she hastened on. She enjoyed every minute
of the day, she told Mrs Wainright when--rather late in the evening--
she came home. She had seen, not only the outside of the poet's house,
but also, through the kindness of a friend of Miss Holbrook, the inside
of it, and Mr Longfellow himself as well; and the day was a day to be
remembered for many reasons.
She saw Dr Justin in the morning, however, though she hoped she need
not. There was not time for many words between them; but Fidelia's
words were spoken with sufficient decision. Dr Justin had not received
her letter. He had heard from his niece Susie that her friend was going
away, and he hastened to see her before her departure. He asked for
nothing that would make it necessary for her to break her engagement
with Mrs Wainright. He only asked her promise to return at the end of
the year, and give him her answer then. But she refused to make the
promise, or even to correspond with him while she was away.
"I have spoken too soon; I will wait and come again," said he.
"You will not be wise to wait or to come again," said Fidelia gravely.
He came to the steamer with other friends of the Wainrights to see the
last of them. Miss Avery was there among the rest; and, as Fidelia
watched them moving away together, she said to herself, that the chances
were few that Dr Justin would either wait or return to her again.
And so it proved. Before the first year of her absence was quite over
there came to Mrs Wainright a letter from her cousin, telling her of
her engagement to Dr Justin Everett, and trusting that they might meet
them in Europe before many months.
"And so _that_ is well over," said Fidelia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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