Haunted houses -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction
"There can be no harm in my doing so," he replied, after a pause. "In
a certain way it is a love story, of which I believe Ronald has seen
the end, a belief which is not shared by him. The incidents are few,
and he sets store upon them, as most young men do who have been in
love. It commenced about six years ago, when Ronald, fagged with
overwork, went for a summer ramble on the Continent. He spent a few
days in Paris, and then took the morning train to Geneva. It is a long
travel from Paris to Geneva, and to anyone not cheerfully inclined a
wearisome one. A happy spirit is required to enjoy a dozen hours boxed
up in a railway carriage, but probably this day was to Ronald the
happiest, as it was certainly the most eventful, in his life. For
traveling in that train were a young lady and her father, a widower, I
believe, though upon this point I cannot speak with certainty, nor can
I tell you the gentleman's name, for the reason that Ronald has never
mentioned it to me. The lady's was Beatrice, and that is all I know.
In the course of that eventful day Ronald found opportunity to make
himself of service to the young lady, but his attentions did not
appear to be as agreeable to the father as they were to the daughter.
It could not be doubted that she accepted them very readily, and that
Ronald was as attractive to her as she was to him. From what I have
gathered I should say that it was a case of love at first sight on
both sides. Ronald, as you have seen, is a handsome young fellow, who
would be likely to win favor with ladies all the world over, and at
the time I am speaking of he was not oppressed by the fear of losing
his sight.
"When they were within a short distance of Geneva he asked Beatrice at
which hotel they were going to put up, and she replied that she did
not know. He inquired of her father, and that gentleman said he had
not made up his mind.
"'I hope we shall meet again,' said Ronald to Beatrice. 'Where do you
go from Geneva?'
"'To Chamounix, of course,' she replied. 'I have never been in
Switzerland before. Have you?'
"'Oh, yes,' he said. And then he described to her some of the most
beautiful spots in Switzerland, and you may be sure that those
beautiful spots were the places he intended to visit, and for which he
had taken a circular ticket.
"'Perhaps I shall see you in Chamounix,' he said. 'Do you remain long
in Geneva?'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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