She stood with her little hands
clasped, and her eyes cast down before him, but not a quiver stirred
her pale face, which seemed turned to marble by this last effort of
her maiden pride. "I have nothing to pardon," said she. "It was I,
whose bold behavior, unbecoming a modest and well-trained young
woman, gave rise to what seemed like presumption on your part." The
sense of justice was strong within her, but she made her speech
haughtily and primly, as if she had learned it by rote from some
maiden school-mistress, and pulled her arm away and turned to go; but
Thomas's words stopped her.
"Not--unbecoming if it came--from the heart," said he, brokenly,
scarcely daring to speak, and yet not daring to be silent.
Then Evelina turned on him, with a sudden strange pride that lay
beneath all other pride, and was of a nobler and truer sort. "Do you
think I would have given you the look that I did if it had not come
from my heart?" she demanded. "What did you take me to be--false and
a jilt? I may be a forward young woman, who has overstepped the
bounds of maidenly decorum, and I shall never get over the shame of
it, but I am truthful, and I am no jilt." The brilliant color flamed
out on Evelina's cheeks. Her blue eyes met Thomas's with that courage
of innocence and nature which dares all shame.
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