Why should he worry? She was too serious and honest to play with any man, to say nothing of an attempt to flirt4 with two at the same time.
He refused to believe in the seriousness of any impression she had made on his brother's conceited5 fancy. His light love affairs had become notorious in his set. He was only amusing himself with Betty and she was too simple and pure to understand. Yet to warn her at this stage of the game against his own brother was obviously impossible.
He suddenly turned on his heel:
"I'm a fool. I'll wait till to-morrow!"
He walked rapidly to the corner, stopped abruptly6, turned back to the door and rang the bell.
"Anyhow, I'm not a coward!" he muttered.
The pretty Irish maid who opened the door smiled graciously and knowingly. It made him furious. She mistook his rage for blushes and giggled7 insinuatingly8.
"Miss Betty's in the garden, sor; she says to come right out there——"
"What?" Ned gasped9.
"Yiss-sor; she saw you come up to the door just now and told me to tell you."
Again the girl giggled and again he flushed with rage.
He found her in the garden, busy with her flowers. The border of tall jonquils were in full bloom, a gorgeous yellow flame leaping from both sides of the narrow walkway which circled the high brick wall covered with a mass of honeysuckle. She held a huge pair of pruning10 shears11, clipping the honeysuckle away from the budding violet beds.
She lifted her laughing brown eyes to his.
"Do help me!" she cried. "This honeysuckle vine is going to cover the whole garden and smother12 the house itself, I'm afraid."
He took the shears from her pink fingers and felt the thrill of their touch for just a moment.
His eyes lingered on the beautiful picture she made with flushed face and tangled13 ringlets of golden brown hair falling over forehead and cheeks and white rounded throat. The blue gingham apron14 was infinitely15 more becoming than the most elaborate ball costume. It suggested home and the sweet intimacy16 of comradeship.
"You're lovely in that blue apron, Miss Betty," he said with earnestness.
"Then I'm forgiven for making home folks of you?"
"I'm very happy in it."
"Well, you see I had no choice," she hastened to add. "I just had to finish these flowers before dressing17 for dinner. I'm expecting that handsome brother of yours directly and I must look my best for him, now mustn't I?"
She smiled into his eyes with such charming audacity18 he had to laugh.
"Of course, you must!" he agreed, and bent19 quickly to the task of clearing her violet bed of entangled20 vines. In ten minutes his strong hand had done the work of an hour for her slender fingers.
"How swiftly and beautifully you work, Ned!" she exclaimed as he rose with face flushed and gazed a moment admiringly on the witchery of her exquisite21 figure.
"How would you like me for a steady gardener?"
"I hope you're not going to lose your job on your brother's paper?"
"It's possible."
"Why?"
"We don't agree on politics."
"A reporter don't have to agree with an editor. He only obeys orders."
"That's it," Ned answered, with a firm snap of his strong jaw22. "I'm not going to take orders from this Government many more days from the present outlook."
Betty looked him straight in the eye in silence and slowly asked:
"You're not really going to join the rebels?"
The slender boyish figure suddenly straightened and his lips quivered:
"Perhaps."
"You can't mean it!" she cried incredulously.
"Would you care?" he asked slowly.
"Very much," was the quick answer. "I should be shocked and disappointed in you. I've never believed for a moment that you meant what you said. I thought you were only debating the question from the Southern side."
"Tell me," Ned broke in, "does your father mean half he says about Lincoln and the South?"
"Every word he says. My father is made of the stuff that kindles23 martyr24 fires. He will march to the stake for his principles when the time comes."
"You admire that kind of man?"
"Don't you?"
"Yes. And for that reason I can't understand why you admire a trimmer and a time server."
"You mean?"
"The Rail-splitter in the White House."
"But he's not!" Betty protested. "I can feel the hand of steel beneath his glove—wait and see."
Ned laughed:
"Let Ephraim alone, he's joined to his idols25! As our old preacher used to say in Missouri. Your delusion26 is hopeless. It's well the President is safely married."
Betty's eyes twinkled. Ned paused, blushed, fumbled27 in his pocket and drew out the card the President had given him to deliver.
"I am ordered by the administration," he gravely continued, "to serve this document on the daughter of Senator Winter."
Betty's eyes danced with amazement28 as she read the message in the handwriting of the Chief Magistrate29.
"He sent this to me?"
"'Good-bye—Ned!' she breathed softly."
"'Good-bye—Ned!' she breathed softly."
"Ordered me to serve it on you at once—my excuse for coming at this unseemly hour."
"But why?"
"I gave him a hint of your opinion of his Inaugural30. I think it's a case of a drowning man grasping a straw."
"Well, this is splendid!" she exclaimed.
"You take it seriously?"
"It's a great honor."
"And are you going?"
"I'd go to-night if it were possible—to-morrow sure——"
She looked at the card curiously31.
"I've a strange presentiment32 that something wonderful will come of this meeting."
"No doubt of it. When Senator Winter's daughter becomes the champion of the 'Slave Hound of Illinois' there'll be a sensation in the Capital gossip to say nothing of what may happen at home."
"I'll risk what happens at home, Ned! My father has two great passions, the hatred33 of Slavery and the love of his frivolous34 daughter. I can twist him around my little finger——"
She paused, snapped her finger and smiled up into his face sweetly:
"Do you doubt it, sir?"
"No," he answered with a frown, dropping his voice to low tender tones. "But would you mind telling me, Miss Betty, why you called me 'Mr. Ned' the other day when I introduced you to John?"
The faintest tinge35 of red flashed in her cheeks:
"I must have done it unconsciously."
"Please don't do it again. It hurts. You've called me Ned too long to drop it now, don't you think?"
"Yes."
Her eyes twinkled with mischief36 as she took his hand in parting.
"Good-bye—Ned!" she breathed softly.
And then he did a foolish thing, but the impulse was resistless. He bent low, reverently37 kissed the tips of her fingers and fled without daring to look back.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
confession
|
|
| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
abject
|
|
| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
butt
|
|
| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
flirt
|
|
| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
conceited
|
|
| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
giggled
|
|
| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
insinuatingly
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
pruning
|
|
| n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
shears
|
|
| n.大剪刀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
smother
|
|
| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
apron
|
|
| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
infinitely
|
|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
intimacy
|
|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
audacity
|
|
| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
entangled
|
|
| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
jaw
|
|
| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
kindles
|
|
| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的第三人称单数 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
idols
|
|
| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
delusion
|
|
| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
fumbled
|
|
| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
magistrate
|
|
| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
inaugural
|
|
| adj.就职的；n.就职典礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
presentiment
|
|
| n.预感，预觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
hatred
|
|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
frivolous
|
|
| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
tinge
|
|
| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
mischief
|
|
| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
reverently
|
|
| adv.虔诚地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |