Love stories; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Scotland -- Fiction
But as he did not want Daddy to see him--at present (this last
qualification she insisted on to herself) she would have to be careful
that her father did not notice his presence. This she felt would be
difficult, and might be dangerous; she feared that if the two men
should meet just at present (another qualification equally insisted
on) her father might make some quarrel or trouble.
As Daddy might make trouble this way, she must keep very close to him.
She might thus be able to smooth matters, or do _something_ if any
occasion came.
_And_ she must be careful that he did not notice that she saw him.
This argument came straight out of her sex-artfulness. Every instinct
of her being told her that such would be the most effective way of
bringing the man to her. And Oh! but she did long to see him, close to
her where they could see each other clearly. “Look at me!” seemed to
throb through her every nerve, and make a clang of great music in her
brain.
When presently Colonel Ogilvie, having finished his letters, asked her
what she would like to do that morning she said she would like to go
for a drive. She knew that there would be more security in the
isolation of a carriage than when walking, where a chance meeting
might occur at any moment.
When Athlyne, who was watching the hotel from the garden where the
shrubs gave him cover, saw the landau at the door he thought he would
wait and see if by any chance it might be for the Ogilvies’ use. His
hopes were justified when he saw Joy follow her father from the
doorway. She looked radiantly beautiful; so beautiful that all his
love and passion surged up in him till he felt almost suffocated. He
had quite a good view of her, for she stood for a minute or two in
front of the horses giving them lumps of sugar and stroking their
noses. He heard the voices of both father and daughter. Colonel
Ogilvie’s was strong and resonant; Joy’s was sweet and clear.
Moreover, she spoke on purpose a little more loudly than usual; she
knew that He was listening and would like to hear her voice.
“Tell him where you would like to go, little girl.”
“Anywhere you think best, coachman; provided we get a good view. We
had better be back here in about an hour. Then, Daddy, we shall keep
quiet after lunch--if that will suit you, dear. After tea we can go
out again and have a long drive and come back in the lovely English
twilight. Of course if you would like to, Daddy. I must say there is
one institution that I wish we had in America.”
“And what is that daughter?”
“The twilight! Since I have seen it, our own night seems very cruel!
It shuts down too fast. For my own part if ever I fall in love----”
here the words became indistinct; she was entering the carriage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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