His mood unloosed his tongue and made him
eloquent as he described his experiences in trout-fishing. His words were
so simple and vivid that he made his listeners hear the cool splash and see
the foam of the mountain brooks. They saw the shimmer of the speckled
beauties as they leaped for the fly, and felt the tingle of the rod as the
line suddenly tightened, and hear the hum of the reel as the fish darted
away in imagined safety. Burt saw his vantage--was not Amy listening with
intent eyes and glowing cheeks?--and he kept the little group in suspense
almost as long as it had taken him to play, land, and kill a three-pound
trout, the chief trophy of his excursion.
Webb was unusually silent, and was conscious of a depression for which he
could not account. All was turning out better than he had predicted. The
relations between Burt and Amy were not only "serene," but were apparently
becoming decidedly blissful. The young girl was enthusiastic over her
enjoyment of the afternoon; there were no more delicately veiled defensive
tactics against Burt, and now her face was full of frank admiration of his
skill as an angler and of interest in the wild scenes described. Burt had
spent more time in society than over his books while at college, and was a
fluent, easy talker. Webb felt that he suffered in contrast, that he was
grave, heavy, dull, and old--no fit companion for the girl whose laughing
eyes so often rested on his brother's face and responded to his mirth.
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