The Widow Gray had a very romantic turn of mind, and she had not forgotten her young days yet, so it was easy enough for her to find out that the two young folks were already deeply in love.
“And no wonder, either,” she said to herself, sagely1, “for the two beautiful young things seem to be made for each other.”
Accordingly, she helped out the romance all she could by insisting on the girl’s coming every day to help while away the invalid’s lonely hours, saying, cheerfully:
“For you know that just as soon as Mr. Chester gets well enough to be going about he will be right up at Wheatlands, paying back your visits two to one.”
Thus encouraged, Leola came and went daily, making long visits without exciting any suspicion at home, for she was used to having her own way, and no one interfered2 with her liberty.
It was quite a week that Ray Chester was detained at the cottage, for although he made light of his injuries, he was very much bruised3, and felt stiff and sore, and the little gash4 on his temple was deep enough to take some time in healing, and even then it would leave a scar under his thick, brown curls that would always remain to remind him of lovely Leola’s bravery in saving his life at the risk of her own.
But that week went away so quickly, so happily, in that golden June weather, that when it was over they could not realize the lapse5 of days.
The programme of their days had been something like this:
Leola called every morning on Rex, and remained until the midday meal at Wheatlands. After appearing at this hour she slipped away again, returning to the cottage and staying till she had to go home to supper. Her regularity7 at these meals warded8 off any suspicion that she spent the intervening hours in the company of a very charming young man, who would render all Wizard Hermann’s schemes to marry her off to her unknown suitor quite null and void.
After supper, then, came the lonely time, for Leola had to remain at home and play to the governess on the piano in the dingy9 parlor10, whose faded hangings had not been renovated11 for years. As this had been a yearly practice, she could not omit it without exciting wonder on the part of the spinster lady who had acted as her governess and companion since early childhood, and, now that school days were over, looked after the housekeeping, staying on indefinitely, not seeming to have either friends or suitors.
Yet, although she was over forty now, Miss Tuttle had not given over a scarcely-concealed hope of marrying.
As she was very thin and tall, her secret choice had fallen on her exact opposite, a neighboring widower12 about fifty, who was rather short and very stout, and had recently come into a fortune by selling some valuable coal-lands in Greenbrier county.
Miss Tuttle having been in love with neighbor Bennett when he was in moderate circumstances, only loved him the harder when he became so rich that he did not know how to spend his money.
Some neighborly kindnesses he had certainly shown her, but not as many as she wished, and no amount of scheming[Pg 10] had sufficed to bring him to the point of proposing.
Thus absorbed in her own love-affair, it was no wonder that Miss Tuttle paid small attention to Leola’s comings and goings, regarding her still as a pretty child who had heretofore laughed at love and lovers.
So there were none to molest13 the lovers and make them afraid, for Wizard Hermann, though he did not give over his scheme, held his peace and went his way in cunning silence, giving Leola time to get over her fright.
Even Doctor Barnes, who had not found it necessary to pay but three visits to his patient, did not know of the romance going on at the cottage, and being very busy with the measles14, just then epidemic15 in Alderson and the country round about, he had no time to gossip about the stranger whose life Leola Mead16 had saved. As there were none who knew Ray Chester, so there were none to worry over him; and beneath the matronly chaperonage of kind Widow Gray their secret love bloomed into a splendid flower whose strong roots only death could tear away.
“I love you, sweet: how can you ever learn
How much I love you?” “You I love even so,
And so I learn it.” “Sweet, you cannot know
How fair you are.” “If fair enough to earn
Your love, so much is all my hour’s concern.”
“My love grows hourly, sweet!” “Mine, too, doth grow,
Yet love seemed full so many hours ago.”
The lovers speak till kisses claim their turn.
“It was Tuesday when first we met—Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and now it is Tuesday again! And I have been to see you twice every day, Ray! But to-morrow I cannot come at all, for there is a horrid19 picnic to which Miss Tuttle insists on taking me, and I cannot refuse lest she find me out.”
“Why, then, I shall go to the picnic, too. I adore picnics!” cried Ray Chester.
“But you are not invited. It’s a Sunday school picnic, you see, Ray, and you are not acquainted with anybody.”
“I’ll invite myself, and get acquainted with everybody there in less than an hour,” he answered, gayly; and calling to Mrs. Gray, who was watering her geraniums in the yard, he said:
“Aren’t you going to the picnic to-morrow?”
“Perhaps so—only I shall have to leave you a cold dinner,” she said, hesitatingly, coming up to the vine-wreathed porch in whose shadow the lovers were sitting.
“I’ll go with you if you let me!” cried Ray; “and you will introduce me to everybody there as your new boarder.”
“And to Miss Tuttle in particular; and mind you show her much attention, Ray, for then she will ask you to Wheatlands,” laughed Leola, falling into the spirit of the thing, for it came to her suddenly that by this means she and Ray could go on courting under her guardian’s very nose without being suspected.
“Miss Tuttle is so vain she will easily think Ray is in love with her,” she thought, merrily, and so they all laid their plans for to-morrow.
The picnic came off in a beautiful grove20, and Widow Gray’s new boarder kept his word, and got acquainted with everybody there inside of an hour.
“Miss Mead, the little girl to whom I have been governess over ten years.”
The little girl bowed demurely22, and said she was glad to meet Miss Tuttle’s friend, and then she turned carelessly away, and was particular not to interrupt his chat with the spinster until by his assiduity he got the coveted23 invitation to call.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
sagely
|
|
| adv. 贤能地，贤明地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
interfered
|
|
| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
bruised
|
|
| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
gash
|
|
| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
lapse
|
|
| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
regularity
|
|
| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
warded
|
|
| 有锁孔的，有钥匙榫槽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
dingy
|
|
| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
parlor
|
|
| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
renovated
|
|
| 翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
widower
|
|
| n.鳏夫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
molest
|
|
| vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
measles
|
|
| n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
epidemic
|
|
| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
mead
|
|
| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
doting
|
|
| adj.溺爱的，宠爱的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
rosy
|
|
| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
horrid
|
|
| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
grove
|
|
| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
demurely
|
|
| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
coveted
|
|
| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |