"
He rose to his feet once again master of his troubled soul. "I leave
you," he said, "and your tireless youth to your walk. We cannot have
everything, I must be contented in some moment of self-delusion to half
believe the half of what you credit me with."
"Then," cried Leila, laughing, "you would have only a fourth."
"Ah! I taught you arithmetic too well." He too laughed as he turned away.
Laughter was rare with him and to smile frequent. He walked slowly away
to the rectory and for two days was not seen at Grey Pine.
Leila, more at ease and relieved by the final gay banter, strolled into
the solemn quiet of the pines the Squire had so successfully freed from
underbrush and left in royal solitude. At the door of the old log-cabin
she lay down on the dry floor of pine-needles. The quick interchange of
talk had given her no chance to consider, as now she reviewed in
thoughtful illumination, what had seemed to her strange. She tried to
recall exactly what he had said. Of a sudden she knew, and was startled
to know. She had come into possession of the power of a woman innocent of
intention to inflict pain on a strong and high-minded man. A lower nature
might have felt some sense of triumph. It left her with no feeling but
the utmost distress and pitiful thinking of what had gone wrong in this
man's life.
Pages:
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607