I have been wanting to see her ever so much, and was afraid
something was the matter with her, especially as you did not come for
your dog."
As Ralph was explaining his apparent ungraciousness, Dora's soul was
roughly shaken. She was angry with him and wanted to show it, but she saw
clearly that this would be unsafe. Her hold upon him was very slight, and
a few unwise words now might make him no more than a mere acquaintance.
She did not wish to say words that would do that, but if she held him by
a cord ever so slender, she would obey the promptings of her soul and
endeavor to draw him a little toward her. She would take the risks of
that, for if he drifted away from her, the cord would be as likely to
break as if she drew upon it.
"Oh yes," she said, "I knew all the time why you and Miriam did not come
to make a regular society call, but I did suppose that you would drop in
to see about Congo. As soon as I got home, after I promised him to you, I
began to educate him to cease to care for me, and to care for you. If you
had been there, all this would have been easy enough, but as it was, I
had to get Herbert or the coachman to take him out walking at the times I
used to take him, and when he was tied up I kept away from his little
house altogether, so that he should become accustomed to do without me.
Pages:
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319