The Man and the Moment

oo, and before he took in the situation, he had excla

irl on the floor, he said in another voice: "Quiet, Binko-" and the dog ret

while she answered aggrievedly-with a very faint accent, whether a little French or a little

ath-"and I happened to see something like a door ajar in the Gainsborough room, so I fled through it, and it fastened after me with a snap-I could not open it again-a

stared at Michael with her big, childish eye

his hand, and with ceremonious a

you-I could offe

e she struggled up, refu

st your nasty table-why do

he edge of it, and went

honor of this visit, I should

girl said, almost crying now. "It hurts

table monster seat toward her,

orry-but whe

frock; the skimpy skirt (not as narrow as in these days, but st

id to himself, observing these, "and quite pr

eyes, which contained no shadow of gêne over the u

rtimer and Aunt Jemima and-and-Mr. Greenbank-and we are tourists, I s

riosity; she was a diversion after h

to hear why you ran away-the

file, and masses of light brown hair rolled up anyhow at the back. She did not look o

from the beginning, and it is s

hile his manner took on a note of grave, elderly concern,

You look awfully tired and-dusty," and he rang the bell, and then reseated himself. "See, t

ad notes of spring and youth. "Oh, this is fun! and I-I should like some tea!" She caught sight of herself in an old mirror, which stood upon a commode. "Goodness, what a guy I

ed to have in his pocket. "I expect you want to w

ng an even row of beautiful tee

at the velvet pink cheeks. "That must be nice. You can do what you like

Mr. Arranstoun a

were a man

would

him, while she said,

ver marry Mr

el la

ell. "Bring tea, please," his master ordered, inwardly amused at the servant's astonish

had to flee from him-you sa

idy her hair before readjusting it; she had the hat-p

ima nags all day long, and it was left in Papa's will that I was to live with them-and I don't come of age until I am twenty-one, but I can get the money directly if I marry-I was seventeen in May, and of cou

ss or awkwardness in her manner, as any English girl would have shown. She was absolutely at ease, with a childish, confiding innocence which he saw plainly was real, and n

you have not told me

y now, and reseated herself with a

d it does feel lovely doing something wrong like this-having tea with you, I mean. You know, I have never spoken to a young ma

ed the implied

r. Greenba

while she jumped up and peeped fr

fuss now to know what has happened to me! They never saw me go through the door, and I hope they think that I've committed su

e, elderly American of grim appearance in

, and he laughed gaily, while he suggested:

g resented

to marry Mr. Greenbank, or stay

n't contemplate it,

owed, and the violet eyes

t I mean, how would you care to be fo

ought of h

I should

can unde

of well-bred English servants. The pause their entrance caused gave Mr. Arranstoun time to think, and an idea gradually began to unfold itself in his brain

e what her preoccupied host would do when the servants left the room, hunger forced her to fall to the temptation of a p

hem, only once a month after Moravia Cloudwater got that a

e had walked rapidly up and down the room

st he

tea-No-do help yourself," then he paused awkwar

under the table. Tea-time was an hour when he all

ied, putting down her cup. "Yo

actually nervous-and he pulled Binko to him by his so

and continued her tea. The chair was so deep and long that her lit

tting forward again. "I do love to pour out-and

ng something off his chest. "I hardly know how to say what I am thinking of, it sounds so strange.

h a bump, while the round, childish ey

O

to add. "I mean, we should only go through the ceremony,

ed her hands r

to see you again?" in a g

ed forward n

ver, unless

ally kicked her f

this way, and need never see or speak to each other again. What made it come into your head?

ss of the discussion he meant to carry to an end. But this aspect did not so much concern Miss Delburg, as that she had let slip a particular pleasure for the moment, that o

little round face a model of serious responsibility the while, she handed Mich

the holidays, since I was seven-and the Sisters never told me anything about outside, except that it was a place of pitfalls and that men were dreadful creatures. I was very happy there, except I wanted to get out all the time, and when I did and found Uncle and Aunt more tiresome than the Sisters-there seemed no help for it-only Mr. Gree

and laughed; she was perfectly delici

as quite

me exactly how you stand, and your whole name and your parents' names, and everything,

had a very gr

ut, and Mamma was a Frenchwoman and a Catholic. Her family did not speak to her because she married a Protestant and an American. And the worry it was for

es

in the intervals of the jo

of the freedom of American women-and so tied it up so that I can't get it

re now concentrating

ot got a guardi

seen Papa's will, and I know I can marry when and whom I like if I

eized him again, and he got up, gulp

fore we change our minds, or something interferes. Everyone would think we were perfectly mad, but as it suits us

d her hands tog

d he talks like this," and she imitated a precise Boston voice. "'My dear Sabine-have you considered,' and he is lanky-and Oh! I detest him,

r charm, his mind was too fixed upon what seemed a prospect of certain escape from Violet Hatfield and her cunning thirty years of experience. This young thing could not int

marry whom and when you will, I will try to get this old lawyer's consent and

g laughed c

ons. So I know Mr. Parsons will be delighted to spite him by giving his consent, if you just say Uncle Mortimer is trying to force me into a

ite convincing. Mi

nd a friend of mine, and we could get the affair over in the chapel-and then you can go back to the Inn with your certif

ment, her little, irregular features and perfect teeth seemed to add to the infantine aspect of the picture she made in her unfashionable pink cotton frock. Dress had been strongly discouraged at the Convent,

tricks she had perpetrated at the Convent to get chocolates, or climb a tree, or have a midnight orgy of ca

r naturally intelligent mind. She had read no books, conversed with no grown-up people, played with no one but her companions, three American girls and a few French ones, and the simple Nuns. And since her emancipat

as half American and half French and had inherited the quick understanding of both nations. But from the age of seven, she had never seen the outside world. It is not my place, in any case, to explain what she was or was not. The creature, with all

oom and the June afternoon, and we shall hear Mi

the greatest fun! Think of their faces when I prance in and say I am mar

eu which was near, and looked into h

r where you

ble; this was a grave question and must be a

ce, and she has often wanted me to go and stay with her in Rome-and I shall now. Morri and I are the dearest friends-and her things did look lovely the day she came to see us at Tours-with the prince's coronet on the

lt his sho

he land by the skin of our teeth after an awful business so I am afraid I cannot

ught som

imply went to Sioux Falls and got one at once and married someone else, so it's not

n his-fiancée and time was passing. Her family might discover wh

letter to Mr. Parsons that I could take, stating your wishes; and will you also wri

ing-table and gave her pap

inking hard. Then she began rapidly to write-while Mr. Arrans

d then began her letter. And at last she turned a rogue's

spell indige

rted f

t a grand word!-i-

ness letters," she told him, condescen

will do! N

hand, and read off the remarkable document

Mr. Pa

to the grand seigneur who brings this. His name is Arranstoun, and he is indigenous to this Castle, and

d never heard of Arranstoun-we wouldn't have, only Uncle Mortimer was looking out for old ruins to vis

as Uncle Mortimer wants me to marry his nephew, Samuel Greenbank, who I

ne De

y, 50,000 dollars a year I bel

ooked up w

think tha

e-his voice shook w

ured her, with what

oroughly satisfi

be off, or they will be coming to lo

The prospective bridegroom thought it prudent to remind her

I don't know how I can slip away, unless-only it would be so late. I could say I had a headache and go to bed early without dinner, and get

l refl

nine. The park gate is, as you know, right across the road. I will wait for you inside, and we can walk here

oor, and she followed hi

n it? And here in the north it is so funny; it is light at nine, too! Perhaps it would be safest."

stors committed a particularly atrocious raid, and wanted to be absolved for their sins, they put in a window or a painting o

med to her too like her recent experience of the secret passage, and then she exclaimed in a v

how d

r and contrition could compel from the art of the ages. Glorious colored lights swept down in shafts from matchless s

n England or Scotland. It might have been the private cha

little window pla

red with a cynical

m. There was a strange, fierce light in his bright blue eyes, which the child-woman did not see, and which, if she had perceived, she would not have understood any more than he understood it himself-for no concret

he stairs of the lawn, and so through the postern into the park, and he watched her slender form trip off tow

l leave the Crown at nine o

eps to his sitting-room, and the