Father always gave me
the dubious compliment of saying I walked as straight and took as long
strides as a boy. Being a great lover of the exercise, I was sorry my pas
was not ladylike."
"You doubtless make a capital companion, as your father evidently
remembered what a troublesome thing it is to conform one's length of limb
to the dainty footsteps of a woman."
"Father has no trouble on that score," said Ruth, laughing.
The doctor smiled in response, and raising his hat, said, "That is where he
has the advantage over a tall man."
Going over several such scenes, Ruth could remember nothing in his manner
but a sort of invigorating, friendly bluntness, totally at variance with
the peculiarities of the "lady's man" that Louis had insinuated he was
accounted. She resolved to scrutinize him more narrowly the next morning.
Mrs. Levice's room was handsomely furnished and daintily appointed. Even
from her pillows she would have detected any lapse in its exquisite
neatness, and one of Ruth's duties was to leave none to be detected. The
house was large; and with three servants the young girl had to do a great
deal of supervising. She took a natural pride in having things go as
smoothly as under her mother's administration; and Mr.
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