In
fact, he was always at his best at this time, surrounded by the books
he knew and loved, and expanding under the approbation of his one
appreciative listener. Here he reigned, a feudal lord, safe guarded in
his castle of books against that strange and formidable enemy, the
World.
"Four aces, and pinocle," announced Mr. Gooch with grim satisfaction.
Miss Lady rose restlessly and went to the window in the alcove. From
the parlor below came the strains of a waltz and snatches of laughter;
overhead the stars loomed big and white in the summer night. She
thought how strange and lonesome it must be out at Thornwood with the
lights all out and the windows nailed up. The little night things were
singing in the garden by this time, and the cool breezes were
beginning to stir the treetops. She wondered how Mike was getting
along without her, and a lump rose in her throat. She swallowed
resolutely, and smiled confidently up at the stars. Her married life
was not in the least what she had expected, but it would all work out
for the best. To be sure, nobody seemed to need her, nothing was
required of her, but she would make a place for herself, she
_must_ make a place for herself.
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