She kept before them till they reached the gate, and stood inside of it as
they drew near.
"Then you will not be home till Monday," he said, taking Mrs. Levice's hand
and raising his hat; "and I am off on the early morning train. Good-by."
As she turned in at the gate, he held out his hand to Ruth. His fingers
closed softly, tightly over hers; she heard him say almost inaudibly, --
"Till Monday."
She raised her shy eyes for one brief second to his glowing ones; and he
passed, a tall, dark figure, down the shadowy road.
When Mr. Levice returned from his game of whist, he quietly opened the door
of his daughter's bedroom and looked in. All was well; the wolf had
departed, and his lamb slept safe in the fold.
But in the dark his lamb's eyes were mysteriously bright. Sleep! With
this new crown upon her! Humble as the beautiful beggar-maid must have
felt when the king raised her, she wondered why she had been thus chosen by
one whom she had deemed so immeasurably above her. And this is another
phase of woman's love, --that it exalts the beloved beyond all reasoning.
Chapter XVI
At six o'clock the hills in their soft carpet of dull browns and greens
were gently warming under the sun's first rays. At seven the early train
that Dr.
Pages:
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178