I did not fall in love
with her, but she was still attractive as a woman, and difference of
sex, delightful manners, subtle intellect, expressive grey eyes, and
lovely black hair streaked with white, might have taught me much
which I could have learned from no ordinary friend. My cousin often
went with me to Mrs. A.'s, but I was never at rest when he was
there. I fancied then that if I could have rendered a dozen lines
of Gray's Elegy into correct Greek, life would have nothing more to
give me. Mrs. A. was too well-behaved to encourage conversation in
my cousin's presence which disclosed my inferiority to him, but
without premeditation it sometimes turned where I could not follow.
As I have said, she had travelled in Greece. She understood
something of modern Greek, and she and my cousin one evening fell to
comparing it with ancient Greek. I sat sulky and dumb. At last she
turned to me, and asked me smilingly why I was so quiet. I replied
that I did not understand a word of what they were saying (which was
untrue), and that if they would talk about Stamps and Taxes I could
join.
Pages:
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130