Whether Elsie saw into his object or not was more than he could tell. His
idea was, after having conciliated the good-will of all about her as far
as possible, to make himself first a habit and then a necessity with the
girl,--not to spring any trap of a declaration upon her until tolerance
had grown into such a degree of inclination as her nature was like to
admit. He had succeeded in the first part of his plan. He was at
liberty to prolong his visit at his own pleasure. This was not strange;
these three persons, Dudley Venner, his daughter, and his nephew,
represented all that remained of an old and honorable family. Had Elsie
been like other girls, her father might have been less willing to
entertain a young fellow like Dick as an inmate; but he had long outgrown
all the slighter apprehensions which he might have had in common with all
parents, and followed rather than led the imperious instincts of his
daughter. It was not a question of sentiment, but of life and death, or
more than that,--some dark ending, perhaps, which would close the
history of his race with disaster and evil report upon the lips of all
coming generations.
Pages:
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397