He realized now that, even though it had moved his pity,
Claire's querulousness had offended something in him.
He had made allowances for her, but the ideal girl would have had
no need of allowances. The ideal girl would be plucky, cheerfully
valiant, a fighter. She would not admit the existence of hard
luck.
She would be honest. Here, too, she would have no need of allowances.
No temptation would be strong enough to make her do a mean act or
think a mean thought, for her courage would give her strength, and
her strength would make her proof against temptation. She would be
kind. That was because she would also be extremely intelligent,
and, being extremely intelligent, would have need of kindness to
enable her to bear with a not very intelligent man like himself.
For the rest, she would be small and alert and pretty, and fair
haired--and brown-eyed--and she would keep a bee farm and her name
would be Elizabeth Boyd.
Having arrived with a sense of mild astonishment at this
conclusion, Bill found, also to his surprise, that he had walked
ten miles without knowing it and that he was turning in at the
farm gate. Somebody came down the drive, and he saw that it was
Elizabeth.
She hurried to meet him, small and shadowy in the uncertain light.
James, the cat, stalked rheumatically at her side.
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