This very fact made her less judicial, less keen, in her
insight. If he was so attractive to her, could Amy be indifferent to him
after months of companionship? She had thought that she understood Amy
thoroughly, but was beginning to lose faith in her impression. While in
some respects Amy was still a child, there were quiet depths in her nature
of which the young girl herself was but half conscious. She often lapsed
into long reveries. Webb's course troubled her. Never had he been more
fraternal in his manner, but apparently she was losing her power to
interest him, to lure him away from the material side of life. "I can't
keep pace with him," she sighed; "and now that he has learned all about my
little range of thoughts and knowledge, he finds that I can be scarcely
more to him than Johnnie, whom he pets in much the same spirit that he does
me, and then goes to his work or books and forgets us both. He could help
me so much, if he only thought it worth his while! I'm sure I'm not
contented to be ignorant, and many of the things that he knows so much
about interest me most."
Thus each girl was busy with her thoughts, as they sat in the warm summer
night and watched the vivid line draw nearer. Mr. Clifford and Maggie
came out from time to time, and were evidently disturbed by the unchecked
progress of the fire. Alf had gone with his father, and anything like a
conflagration so terrified Johnnie that she dared not leave her mother's
lighted room.
Pages:
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403