Americans -- Italy -- Fiction; New England -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
“Oh, for me, for ME!” he protested. “I will try to tell you what I mean,
and why you must not, for that very reason.” But he had to speak of
himself, of the miracle of finding her again by the means which should
have lost her to him forever; and of the significance of this. Then it
appeared to him that he could not reject such a leading without error,
without sin. “Such a thing could not have merely happened.”
It seemed so to Clementina, too; she eagerly consented that this was
something they must think of, as well. But the light waned, the
dark thickened in the room before he left her to do so. Then he said
fervently, “We must not doubt that everything will come right,” and his
words seemed an effect of inspiration to them both.
XXVII.
After Gregory was gone a misgiving began in Clementina's mind, which
grew more distinct, through all the difficulties of accounting to Mrs.
Lander for his long stay, The girl could see that it was with an obscure
jealousy that she pushed her questions, and said at last, “That Mr.
Hinkle is about the best of the lot. He's the only one that's eva had
the mannas to ask after me, except that lo'd. He did.”
Clementina could not pretend that Gregory had asked, but she could not
blame him for a forgetfulness of Mrs. Lander which she had shared with
him. This helped somehow to deepen the misgiving which followed her from
Mrs. Lander's bed to her own, and haunted her far into the night. She
could escape from it only by promising herself to deal with it the
first thing in the morning. She did this in terms much briefer than she
thought she could have commanded. She supposed she would have to write a
very long letter, but she came to the end of all she need say, in a very
few lines.
DEAR MR. GREGORY:
“I have been thinking about what you said yesterday, and I have to
tell you something. Then you can do what is right for both of us;
you will know better than I can. But I want you to understand that
if I go with you in your missionary life, I shall do it for you, and
not for anything else. I would go anywhere and live anyhow for you,
but it would be for you; I do not believe that I am religious, and I
know that I should not do it for religion.
“That is all; but I could not get any peace till I let you know just
how I felt.
“CLEMENTINA CLAXON.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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