"Did you like that?" he asked, with unconscious patronage.
"So much!" she replied. "Ah, he must be a great man who wrote
those words; and you remember them all."
Her simple admiration flattered and charmed him. He recited
other verses for her, and the girl listened in a trance of
delight. The sunshine and western wind brought no warning to the
heir of Earlescourt that he was forging the first link of a
dreadful tragedy; he thought only of the shy, blushing beauty and
coy grace of the young girl!
Suddenly from over the trees there came the sound of the great
bell at the Hall. Then Dora started.
"It is one o'clock!" she cried. "What shall I do? Mrs. Morton
will be angry with me."
"Angry!" said Ronald, annoyed at this sudden breakup of his
Arcadian dream. "Angry with you! For what?"
"She is waiting for the strawberries," replied conscious Dora,
"and my basket is not half full."
It was a new idea to him that any one should dare to be angry
with this pretty, gentle Dora.
"I will help you," he said.
In less than a minute the heir of Earlescourt was kneeling by
Dora Thorne, gathering quickly the ripe strawberries, and the
basket was soon filled.
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