Children of the rich -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
As he moved toward his father and Adelaide, her heart swelled with pride
in him, with pride in her share in him. Ever since the sending of the
cablegram to recall him, she had been wondering what she would feel at
sight of him. Now she forgot all about her once-beloved self-analysis.
She was simply proud of him, enormously proud; other men seemed trivial
beside this personage. Also she was a little afraid; for, as their eyes
met, it seemed to her that his look of recognition and greeting was not
so ardent as she was accustomed to associate with his features when
turned toward her. But before she could be daunted by her misgiving it
vanished; for he impetuously caught her in his arms and, utterly
forgetting the onlookers, kissed her until every nerve in her body was
tingling in the sweeping flame of that passion which his parting caress
had stirred to vague but troublesome restlessness. And she, too, forgot
the crowd, and shyly, proudly gave as well as received; so there began to
vibrate between them the spark that clears brains and hearts of the fogs
and vapors and keeps them clear. And it was not a problem in psychology
that was revealed to those admiring and envying spectators in the
brilliant September sunshine, but a man and a woman in love in the way
that has been "the way of a man with a maid" from the beginning; in love,
and each looking worthy of the other's love--he handsome in his blue
serge, she beautiful in a light-brown fall dress with pale-gold facings,
and the fluffy, feathery boa close round her fair young face.
Civilization has changed methods, but not essentials; it is still not
what goes on in the minds of a man and woman that counts, but what goes
on in their hearts and nerves.
The old doctor did not in the least mind the momentary neglect of
himself. He had always assumed that his son and Del loved each other,
there being every reason why they should and no reason why they
shouldn't; he saw only the natural and the expected in this outburst
which astonished and somewhat embarrassed them with the partial return of
the self-consciousness that had been their curse. He beamed on them from
eyes undimmed by half a century of toil, as bright under his shaggy white
brows as the first spring flowers among the snows. As soon as he had
Dory's hand and his apparent attention, he said: "I hope you've been
getting your address ready on the train, as I suggested in my telegram."
"I've got it in my bag," replied Dory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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