"
She had begun within a polite composure borrowed from mamma; but, once
launched, her ardent nature got the better: her colour rose and rose, and
her voice sank and sank, and the last words came almost in a whisper; and
such a lovely whisper: a gurgle from the heart; and, as she concluded,
her delicate hand came sweeping out with a heaven-taught gesture of large
and sovereign cordiality, that made even the honest words and the divine
tones more eloquent. It was too much; the young man, ardent as herself,
and not, in reality, half so timorous, caught fire; and seeing a white,
eloquent hand rather near him, caught it, and pressed his warm lips on it
in mute adoration and gratitude.
At this she was scared and offended. "Oh; keep that for the Queen!" cried
she, turning scarlet, and tossing her fair head into the air, like a
startled stag; and she drew her hand away quickly and decidedly, though
not roughly. He stammered a lowly apology--in the very middle of it she
said quietly, "Good-bye, Mr. Hardie," and swept, with a gracious little
curtsey, through the doorway, leaving him spell-bound.
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