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Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851

"Tales for Fifteen, or, Imagination and Heart"

"
{interested = not pure, having an ulterior motive}
"While that of women depends on--"
"Feeling alone."
"But what excites this feeling?" asked Charles with
a smile.
"What? why sympathy--and a knowledge of each
other's good qualities."
"Then you think Miss Miller has more good qualities
than Katherine Emmerson," said Weston.
"When did I ever say so?" cried Julia in surprise.
"I infer it from your loving her better, merely,"
returned the young man with a little of Miss
Emmerson's dryness.
"It would be difficult to compare them," said Julia
after a moment's pause. "Katherine is in the world,
and has had an opportunity of showing her merit;
that Anna has never enjoyed. Katherine is certainly
a most excellent girl, and I like her very much; but
there is no reason to think that Anna will not prove
as fine a young woman as Katherine, when put to
the trial."
"Pray," said the young lawyer with great gravity,
"how many of these bosom, these confidential
friends can a young woman have at the same
time?"
"One, only one--any more than she could have two
lovers," cried Julia quickly.
"Why then did you find it necessary to take that
one from a set, that was untried in the practice of
well-doing, when so excellent a subject as your
cousin Katherine offered?"
"But Anna I know, I feel, is every thing that is good
and sincere, and our sympathies drew us together.


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