'Way Down East: A Romance of New England LifeGrismer, Joseph Rhode
General
'Way Down East: A Romance of New England Life
Grismer, Joseph Rhode
New England -- Fiction
At least, that was what her chaperone concluded as she skilfully
concealed her dissatisfaction with a radiant smile. She liked girls to
achieve social success when they were under her wing--it was the next
best thing to scoring success on her own account. But, it was quite a
different matter to invite a poor relation half out of charity, half
out of pity, and then have her outshine one's own daughter, and one's
nieces--the latter being her particular proteges--girls whom she hoped
to assist toward brilliant establishments. The thought was a
disquieting one, the men of their party had been making idiots of
themselves over the girl ever since they left Boston; it was all very
well to be kind to one's poor kin--but charity began at home when there
were girls who had been out three seasons! What was it, that made the
men lose their heads like so many sheep? She adjusted her lorgnette
and again took an inventory of the girl's appearance. It was eminently
satisfactory even when viewed from the critical standard of Mrs.
Standish Tremont. A delicately oval face, with low smooth brow, from
which the night-black hair rippled in softly crested waves and clung
about the temples in tiny circling ringlets, delicate as the faintest
shading of a crayon pencil. Heavily fringed lids that lent mysterious
depths to the great brown eyes that were sorrowful beyond their years.
A mouth made for kisses--a perfect Cupid's bow; in color, the red of
the pomegranate--such was Anna Moore, the great lady's young kinswoman,
who was getting her first glimpse of the world this autumn afternoon.
"You were born to be a Harvard girl, Miss Moore, the crimson becomes
you go perfectly, that great bunch of Jacqueminots is just what you
need to bring out the color in your cheeks," said Arnold Lester, rather
an old beau, and one of Mrs. Endicott's devoted cavaliers.
"Miss Moore is making her roses pale with envy," gallantly answered
Robert Maynard. He had not been able to take his eyes from the girl's
face since he met her.
Anna looked down at her roses and smiled. Her gown and gloves were
black. The great fragrant bunch was the only suggestion of color that
she had worn for over a year. She was still in mourning for her
father, one of the first great financial magnates to go under in the
last Wall Street crash. His failure killed him, and the young daughter
and the invalid wife were left practically unprovided for.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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