Beta Book

Besides, you're Fanny's cousin.
I bought this necklace--I thought it old-fashioned and pretty."
Redbud was silent again, her eyes bent quietly upon the walk, the long
lashes reposing thus upon the tender little cheeks.
"Old-fashioned and pretty," said the young man, with a smile, "did you
not make a mistake there, Miss Redbud?"
"No, sir--I meant it," she said, raising her eyes simply to his
own. "I think old-fashioned things are very often prettier and more
pleasant than new ones. Don't you?"
"I do!" cried Fanny; "I'm sure my great grandmother's diamond
breastpin is much handsomer than this horrid thing!"
And the young lady tore the pinchbeck jewel from her neck.
Mr. Ashley laughed.
"There's your consistency," he said; "just now you thought nothing
could be finer."
Miss Fanny vehemently opposed this view of her character at great
length, and with extraordinary subtilty. We regret that the exigencies
of our narrative render it impossible for us to follow her--we can
only state that the result, as on all such occasions, was the total
defeat of the cavalier.


Pages:
203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227