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A Christmas Eve suit. The Christmas
holidays had come, and with them a

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welcome vacation for Hedley Marston. Although
as yet a briefless young lawyer, he

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had a case in hand which absorbed
many of his thoughts, the conflicting claims

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of two young women in his native
village on the Hudson. It must not

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be imagined that the young women were
pressing their claims, except as they did

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so unconsciously by virtue of their sex
and various charms. Nevertheless, Marsden was

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not the first lawyer who had clients
over whom midnight oil was burned, they

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remaining unaware of the fact. If
not yet a constitutional attorney, he was

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at least constitutionally one. Falling helplessly
in love with one girl simplifies matters.

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There are no distracting pros and cons, nothing required but a concentration of faculties

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to win the enslaver and so achieve
mastery. Marsden did not appear amenable to

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the subtle influences which blind the eyes
and dethrone reason, inspiring in its place

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an overwhelming impulse to capture a fortuitous
girl, because to a heated imagination,

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she surpasses all her sex. Indeed, he was level headed enough to believe

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that he would never capture any such
girl, but he hoped to secure one

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who promised to make as good a
wife as he would try to be a

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husband. And with a fair amount
of self esteem, he was conscious of

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imperfections. Therefore, instead of fancying
that any of his fair acquaintances were angels,

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he had deliberately, and some may
think in a very cold blooded fashion,

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endeavored to discover what they actually were. He had observed that a good

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deal of prose followed the poetry of
wooing and the lunacy of the honeymoon,

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and he thought it might be well
to criticize a little before marriage as well

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as after it. There were a
number of charming girls in the social circle

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of his native town, and he
had, during later years made himself quite

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impartially agreeable to them. Indeed,
without much effort on his part, he

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had become what is known as a
general favorite. He had been too diligent

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a student to become a society man, but was ready enough in vacation periods

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to make the most of every country
frolic, and even on great occasions,

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to rush up from the city and
return at some unearthly hour in the morning,

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when his partners and dance were not
half through their dreams. While on

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these occasions he had shared in the
prevailing hilarity, he nevertheless had the presentiment

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that some one of the laughing,
light footed girls would one day pour his

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coffee and send him to his office
in either a good or bad mood,

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to grapple with the problems awaiting him
there. He had, in a measure

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decided that when he married, it
should be to a girl whom he had

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played with in childhood and whom he
knew a good deal about, and not

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to a chance acquaintance of the world
at large. So beneath all his diversified

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gallantries he had maintained a quiet little
policy of observation until his thoughts had gradually

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gathered around two of his young associates, who unconsciously to themselves as we have

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said, but in stronger and stronger
claims every time he saw them. They

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asserted these claims in the only way
in which he would have recognized them,

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by being more charming, agreeable,
and as he fancied, by being better

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than the others. He had not
made them aware, even by manner of

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the distinction accorded to them, and
as yet he was merely a friend.

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But the time had come, he
believed for definite action. While he weighed

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and considered, some prompter fellows might
take the case out of his hands entirely.

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Therefore, he welcomed this vacation and
the opportunities it afforded. The festivities

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began with what is termed in the
country a large party, and Carrie Mitchell

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and Lottie Waldo were both there,
resplendent in new gowns made for the occasion.

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Marston thought them both charming. They
danced equally well and talked nonsense with

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much the same ease and vivacity.
He could not decide which was the prettier,

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nor did the eyes and attentions of
others afford him any aid. They

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were general favorites as well as himself, although it was evident that to some

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they might become more. But they
were apparently in the heyday of their girlhood,

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and thus far had preferred miscellaneous admiration
to individual devotion. By the time

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the evening was over, Marston felt
that if life consisted of large parties,

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he might as well settle the question
by the toss of a copper. It

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must not be supposed that he was
such a conceited prig as to imagine that

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such a fortuitous proceeding, or his
best efforts afterward, could settle the question

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as it related to the girls.
It would only decide his own procedure.

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He was like an old marauding baron
in honest doubt from which town he can

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carry off the richest booty. That
is, in case he can capture any

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one of them, his overtures for
capitulation might be met with the slings and

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arrows of outrageous fortune, and he
be sent limping off the field. Nevertheless,

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no man regrets that he must take
the initiative, and he would be

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less than a man who would fear
to do so. When it came to

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this point in the affair, Marston
shrugged his shoulders and thought, I must

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take my chances like the rest.
But he wished to be sure that he

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had attained this point, and not
lay siege to one girl, only to

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wish afterward it had been the other. His course, that evening proved that

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he not only had a legal cast
of mind, but also a judicial one.

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He invited both Miss Mitchell and Miss
Waldo to take a sleigh ride with

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him the following evening, fancying that
when sandwiched between them in the cutter,

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he could impartially note his impressions.
His unsuspecting clients laughingly accepted, utterly unaware

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of the momentous character of the trial
scene before them. As Marston smoked a

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cigar before retiring that night, he
admitted to himself that it was rather a

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remarkable court that was about to be
held. He was the only advocate for

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the claims of each and finally he
proposed to take a seat on the bench

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and judge between them. Indeed,
before he slept, he decided to take

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that august position at once and maintain
a judicial impartiality while noting his impressions.

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Christmas Eve happened to be a cold, clear, starlit night, and when

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Marston drove to Miss Waldo's door,
he asked himself, could a fellow ask

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for anything daintier and finer than the
red lipped, dark eyed girl revealed by

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the hall lamp as she tripped lightly
out, her anxious mamma following her with

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words of unheeded caution about not taking
cold and coming home early. He had

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not traversed the mile which intervened between
the residences of the two girls before.

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He almost wished he could continue the
drive under the present auspices, and that,

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as in the old times, he
could take toll at every bridge and

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encircle his companion with his arm.
As they bounced over the thank'ee ma'am's.

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The frosty air appeared to give keenness
and piquancy to Miss Lottie's wit, and

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the chime of the bells was not
merrier or more musical than her voice.

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But when a little later he saw
blue eyed Carrie Mitchell in her furs and

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hood silhouetted in the window, his
old dilemma became as perplexing as ever.

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Nevertheless, it was the most delightful
uncertainty that he had ever experienced, and

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he had a presentiment that he had
better make the most of it, since

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it could not last much longer.
Meanwhile, he was hedged about with blessings,

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clearly not in disguise, and he
gave utterance to this truth as they

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drove away. Surely there was never
so lucky a fellow here. I am

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kept warm and happy by the two
finest girls in town. Yes, said

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Lottie. And it's a shame you
can't sit on both sides of us.

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I assure you, I wish it
were possible. It would double my pleasure.

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I'm very well content, remarked carry
quietly, as long as I can

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keep on the right side of people. Well, you are not on the

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right side to night, interrupted Lottie. Good gracious, thought Marston. She's

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next to my heart. I wonder
if that will give her unfair advantage.

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But Carrie explained, of course I
was speaking metaphorically in that aspect of the

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case. It would be ashamed to
me if any side I have is not

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right toward those who have so honored
me. He hastened to say, Oh,

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Carrie has all the advantage. She
is next to your heart. Would

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you like to exchange places? Was
the query flashed back by Carrie. Oh

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no, I'm quite as content as
you are. Why then, since I

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am more than content exultant? Indeed, it appears that we all start from

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excellent premises to reach a happy conclusion
of our Christmas eve, cried Marston.

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Now you are talking shop, mister, long premises and conclusions. Indeed,

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said Lottie, since you are such
a happy sandwich. You must be a

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tongue sandwich and be very entertaining.
He did his best, the two girls

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seconding his efforts so genially that he
found himself, after driving five miles,

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psychologically just where he was physically between
them as near to one in his thoughts

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and preferences as to the other.
Let us take the river road home,

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suggested Lottie. As long as you
agree, he answered, You both are

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sovereign potentates. If you should express
conflicting wishes, I should have to stop

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here in the road till one abdicated
in favor of the other, or we

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all froze. But you, sitting
so snugly between us, would not freeze,

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said Lottie. If we were obstinate, we would have to assume our

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pleasantest expressions, and then you could
eventually take us home as bits of sculpture.

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In fact, I'm getting cold already, are you also, miss Carrie?

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Oh? I'll fall out before summer. Don't mind me? Well,

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then mind me resumed, Lotty.
See how white and smooth the river looks.

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Why can't we drive home on the
ice? It will save myles.

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I mean it looks so inviting.
Oh, dear, cried Carrie, I

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feel like protesting now. The longest
way round may be both the shortest and

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safest way home. You ladies shall
decide this morning, I drove over the

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rout we would take to night,
and I should not fear to take a

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ton of coal over it. A
comparison suggesting warmth and a great fire.

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I vote for the river, said
Lotty promptly. Oh well, mister Marston,

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if you've been over the ice so
recently, I only wish to feel

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reasonably safe, I declare, thought
Marston, Lotty is the braver and more

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brilliant girl, and the fact that
she is not inclined to forego the comfort

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of the home fire for the pleasure
of my company reveals the difficulty of,

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and therefore incentive to, the suit
I may decide to enter upon before New

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Year's Meanwhile, his high art on
Carrie's side began to grow warm and alert,

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as if recognizing an affinity to some
object not far off. Granting that

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she had not been so brilliant as
Lottie, she had been eminently companionable in

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a more quiet way. If there
had not been such bursts of enthusiasm at

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the beginning of the drive, her
enjoyment appeared to have more staying powers.

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He liked her none the less that
her eyes were often turned towards the stars

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or the dark silhouettes of the leafless
trees against the snow. She did not

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keep saying, Ah, how lovely, what a fine bit that is.

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But he had only to follow her
eyes to see something worth looking at.

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A proof that Miss Carrie also is
not so preoccupied with the pleasure of my

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company that she has no thoughts for
other things, cogitated Marston. It's rather

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in her favor that she prefers nature
to a great fire thereabout even Yet,

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meanwhile, the horse was speeding along
on the white, hard expanse of the

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river skirting the west. They now
had only about a mile to drive before

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striking land again, and the scene
was so beautiful, with the great dim

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outlines of the mountains before them,
that both the girls suggested that they should

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go leisurely for a time. We
shouldn't hastily and carelessly pass such a picture

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as that, any more than one
would if a fine copy of it were

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hung in a gallery, said Carrie. The stars are so brilliant along the

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brow of that highland yonder that they
form a. Dah, oh, oh,

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what is the matter, and she
clung to Marston's arm. The horse

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was breaking through the ice. Whoa, said Marston firmly. Even as he

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spoke, Lottie was out of the
sleigh and running back on the ice,

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crying and wringing her hands. We
shall be drowned, she almost screamed hysterically,

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mister Marston, what shall we do? Can't we turn around and go

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back the way we came? Miss
Carrie, will you do what I ask?

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Will you believe me when I say
that I do not think you are

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in any danger? Yes, I'll
do my best, she replied, catching

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her breath. She grew calm rapidly
as he tried to reassure Lotty, telling

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her that the water from the rising
tide had overflowed the main ice and that

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thin ice had formed over it.
Also that the river at the most was

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only two or three feet deep at
that point, but all was of no

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avail. Lotty stood out upon the
ice in a panic, declaring that he

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should never have brought them into such
danger, and that he must turn around

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at once and go back as they
came. But miss Waldo, the tide

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is rising, and we may find
what places returning. Besides, it would

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bring us home very late. Now, Miss Carrie, and I will drive

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slowly across this place and then return
for you after we have been across it

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twice. You surely won't fear.
I won't be left alone. Suppose you

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two should break through and disappear,
what would become of me? You would

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be better off than we, he
replied, laughing. I think it's hard

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to laugh. Oh I'm so cold
and frightened. I feel as if the

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ice were giving way under my feet. Why, miss Lottie, we just

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drove over that spot where you stand
here. Miss Carrie, shall stay with

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you while I drive back and forth
a loane. Then if you were drowned,

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we'd both be left alone to freeze
to death. I pledge you my

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word. You shall be by that
grape fire within less than an hour if

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you will trust me five minutes.
Oh well, if you will risk your

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life and ours too. But Carrie, you must stay with me. Will

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you trust me, Miss Carrie,
and help me out of this scrape?

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Carrie was recovering from her panic and
replied, I have given you my promise.

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He was out of the sleigh instantly, and the thin ice broke with

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him. Also, I must carry
you a short distance, he said,

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I cannot allow you to get your
feet wet. Put one arm around my

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neck, so now please obey as
you promised. She did so without a

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word, and he bore her beyond
the water, inwardly exalting and blessing that

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thin ice. His decision was coming
with the passing seconds. Indeed it had

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come. Returning to the sleigh,
he drove slowly forward, his horse making

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a terrible crunching and splashing Lotti,
meanwhile keeping up a staccato accompaniment of little

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shrieks. Ah, my charming creature, He thought, with you, it

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was only what will become of me. I might not have found out until

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it was too late, the relative
importance of me in the universe had we

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00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,519
not struck this bad crossing. And
one comes to plenty of bad places to

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00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:39,240
cross in a lifetime. The area
of thin ice was not very narrow,

205
00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,679
and he was becoming but a dim
and shadowy outline to the girls. Lotty

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00:15:43,799 --> 00:15:48,200
was now screaming for his return.
Having crossed the overflowed space and absolutely assured

207
00:15:48,279 --> 00:15:54,159
himself that there was no danger,
he returned more rapidly and found Carrie trying

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00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:58,799
to calm her companion. Oh,
sobbed Lottie. My feet are wet and

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00:15:58,919 --> 00:16:02,840
almost frozen. The ice underneath may
have borne you, but it won't bear

210
00:16:02,879 --> 00:16:06,879
all three of us. Oh dear, I wish I hadn't. I wish

211
00:16:06,879 --> 00:16:10,960
I was home, and I feel
as if I'd never get there, Miss

212
00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:14,120
Lottie. I assure you that the
ice will hold a ton. But I'll

213
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:15,879
tell you what I'll do. I
shall put you in the sleigh, and

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00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:19,799
Miss Carrie will drive you over.
You two together do not weigh much more

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00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,360
than I do. I'll walk just
behind you with my hands on the back

216
00:16:23,399 --> 00:16:26,399
of the sleigh, and if I
see the slightest danger, I'll lift you

217
00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:32,000
out of the sleigh first and carry
you to safety. This proposition promised so

218
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,960
well that she hesitated, and he
lifted her instantly before she could change her

219
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,159
mind, then helped carry in with
a quiet pressure of the hand. As

220
00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,519
much as to say, I shall
depend on you, But mister Marston,

221
00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,279
your feet will get wet, protested
Carrie. That doesn't matter, he replied,

222
00:16:48,279 --> 00:16:52,360
good naturedly. I shall be no
worse offt than Miss Lottie, and

223
00:16:52,399 --> 00:16:56,399
I'm determined to convince her of safety. Now go straight ahead as I direct.

224
00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,720
Once the horse stumbled and Lottie thought
he was going down head first.

225
00:17:02,279 --> 00:17:06,400
Oh lift me out, quick,
quick, she cried, Yes, indeed,

226
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,759
I will miss Lottie as soon as
we are opposite that great fire of

227
00:17:08,799 --> 00:17:14,960
yours. They were soon safely over, and within a half hour reached Lottie's

228
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,880
home. It was evident she was
a little ashamed of her behavior, and

229
00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,000
she made some effort to retrieve herself, but she was cold and miserable,

230
00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:26,759
vexed with herself, and still more
vexed with Marstern that a latent sense of

231
00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:33,440
justice forbade The latter feeling only irritated
her. The more individuals, as well

232
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,920
as communities, must have scapegoats,
and it is not an unusual impulse on

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00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,680
the part of some to blame and
dislike those before whom they have humiliated themselves.

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00:17:42,839 --> 00:17:48,039
She gave her companions a rather formal
invitation to come in and get warm

235
00:17:48,079 --> 00:17:52,640
before proceeding further, but Marston said
very politely that he thought it was too

236
00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,960
late unless Miss Carrie was cold.
Carrie protested that she was not so cold,

237
00:17:57,039 --> 00:18:02,200
but that she could easily wait till
she reached her own fireside. Well,

238
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,839
good night then, and the door
was shut a trifle emphatically, mister

239
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:11,799
Marston said, Carrie sympathetically, your
feet must be very cold and wet after

240
00:18:11,839 --> 00:18:15,000
splashing through all that ice water.
They are, he replied, but I

241
00:18:15,079 --> 00:18:18,839
don't mind it. Well, if
I had tried for years, I could

242
00:18:18,839 --> 00:18:22,599
not have found such a test of
character as we had to night. What

243
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,759
do you mean, Oh, well, you two girls did not behave exactly

244
00:18:26,799 --> 00:18:29,799
alike. I like the way you
behaved. You helped me out of a

245
00:18:29,839 --> 00:18:33,680
confounded scrape. Would you have tried
for years to find a test? She

246
00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:38,759
asked, concealing the keenness of her
query under a laugh. I should have

247
00:18:38,799 --> 00:18:44,079
been well rewarded if I had by
such a fine contrast, he replied.

248
00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,400
Carrie's faculties had not so congealed,
but that his words set her thinking.

249
00:18:49,039 --> 00:18:53,079
She had entertained at times the impression
that she and Lottie were his favorites.

250
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:59,960
Had he taken them out that night
together in hope of contrasts a finding test

251
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,079
that would help his halting decision,
He had ventured where the intuitions of a

252
00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:08,839
girl like Carrie Mitchell were almost equal
to second sight, and she was alert

253
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:14,960
for what would come next, He
accepted her invitation to come in and warm

254
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,960
his feet at the glowing fire in
the grate, which Carrie's father had made

255
00:19:18,039 --> 00:19:23,160
before retiring. Missus Mitchell, feeling
that her daughter was with an old friend

256
00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,279
and playmate, did not think the
presence of a chaperone essential and left the

257
00:19:27,319 --> 00:19:33,319
young people alone. Carrie bustled about, brought cake and made hot lemonade,

258
00:19:33,519 --> 00:19:37,640
while Marston stretched his feet to the
grate with a luxurious sense of comfort and

259
00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,279
complacency, thinking how homelike it all
was, and how paradisical life would become

260
00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:48,119
if such a charming little he bee
presided over his home. His lemonade became

261
00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,200
nectar offered by such hands. She
saw the different expression in his eyes.

262
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:57,319
It was now homage decided preference for
one, and not mere gallantry to two.

263
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,720
Outwardly, she would to merely oblivious
and maintain simply her wonted friendliness.

264
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,960
Marston, however, was thawing in
more senses than one, and he was

265
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,319
possessed by a strong impulse to begin
an open siege at once. I haven't

266
00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:17,400
had a single suit of any kind
yet, Carrie, he said, dropping

267
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,200
the prefix of miss which had gradually
been adopted as they had grown up.

268
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,799
Oh well, that was the position
of all the great lawyers once, she

269
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:30,000
replied, laughing. Marston's father was
wealthy, and all knew that he could

270
00:20:30,039 --> 00:20:34,400
afford to be briefless for a time. I may never be great, but

271
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,240
I shall work as hard as any
of them, he continued, to tell

272
00:20:38,279 --> 00:20:41,759
you the honest truth. However,
this would be the happiest Christmas Eve of

273
00:20:41,839 --> 00:20:45,920
my life if I had a downright
suit on my hands. Why can't I

274
00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,119
be frank with you and say I'd
like to begin the chief suit of my

275
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,799
life now, and here a suit
for this little hand. I'd plead for

276
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,920
it, as no lawyer ever pleaded
before. I settled that much down on

277
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,400
the ice. And if I hadn't
happened to behave on the ice in a

278
00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,559
manner agreeable to your lordship, you
would have pleaded with the other girl,

279
00:21:07,039 --> 00:21:12,079
she remarked, withdrawing her hand and
looking him directly in the eyes. What

280
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:18,720
makes you think, so, he
asked, somewhat confusedly, you do He

281
00:21:18,799 --> 00:21:22,559
sprang up and paced the room for
a few moments, then confronted her with

282
00:21:22,599 --> 00:21:26,480
the words, you shall have the
whole truth. Any woman that I would

283
00:21:26,519 --> 00:21:30,079
ask to be. My wife is
entitled to that, And he told her

284
00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,960
just what the attitude of his mind
had been from the first. She laughed

285
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,640
outright, then gave him her hand, as she said, your honesty ensures

286
00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:42,240
that we can be very good friends. But I don't wish to hear anything

287
00:21:42,279 --> 00:21:48,079
more about suits, which are close
of kin to law suits. He looked

288
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,559
very dejected, feeling that he had
blundered fatally in his precipitation. Come now,

289
00:21:52,599 --> 00:21:56,440
Hedley, be sensible, she resumed, half laughing, half serious.

290
00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,400
As you say, we can be
frank with you each other. Why only

291
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,720
the other day we were boy and
girl together coasting downhill on the same sled.

292
00:22:06,519 --> 00:22:11,039
You are applying your legal jargon to
a deep experience, to something sacred,

293
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:15,440
the result, to my mind,
of a divine instinct. Neither you

294
00:22:15,559 --> 00:22:18,799
nor I have ever felt for each
other, this instinctive preference, this subtle

295
00:22:18,839 --> 00:22:23,519
gravitation of the heart. Don't you
see your head has been concerned about me,

296
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:27,160
and only your head. By a
kindred process, you would select one

297
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:32,640
bale of merchandise and preference to another. Good Gracious, I've faults enough.

298
00:22:32,839 --> 00:22:37,119
You'll meet some other girl that will
stand some other test far better than I.

299
00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,480
I want a little of what you
call silly romance in my courtship.

300
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,799
See I can talk about this suit
as coolly and fluently as you can.

301
00:22:45,319 --> 00:22:48,920
We'd make a nice pair of lovers
about as frigid as the ice water you

302
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,880
waded through so good naturedly. And
the girl's laugh rang out merrily, awakening

303
00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:59,160
echoes in the old house. Mister
and missus Mitchell might rest securely when their

304
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:03,759
daughter could laugh like that. It
was the mirth of a genuine American girl

305
00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:08,000
whose self protection was better than the
care of a thousand duennas. He looked

306
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,079
at her with honest admiration in his
eyes, then rose quietly and said,

307
00:23:12,839 --> 00:23:17,160
that's fine, Carrie. Your head's
worth two of mine, and you'd make

308
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:21,319
a better lawyer. You see through
a case from top to bottom. You

309
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,400
were right. I wasn't in love
with you. I don't know whether I'm

310
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,160
in love with you now, and
you haven't an infinitesimal spark for me.

311
00:23:27,839 --> 00:23:33,319
Nevertheless, I begin my suit here
and now I shall never withdraw it till

312
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:37,279
you are engaged to another fellow.
So there, Carrie looked rather blank at

313
00:23:37,279 --> 00:23:41,920
this result of her reductio ad absurdum
process, and he did not help her

314
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:47,039
by adding a fellow isn't always in
love. There must be a beginning.

315
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,880
And when I arrive at this beginning
under the guidance of reason, judgment,

316
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,759
and observation, I don't see as
I'm any more absurd than the fellow who

317
00:23:53,799 --> 00:23:59,400
tumbles helplessly in love. He doesn't
know why. What becomes of all these

318
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:03,880
people who have divine gravitations? You
and I both know of some who have

319
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:08,920
had satanic repulsions. Afterward they use
their eyes and critical faculties after marriage instead

320
00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:14,319
of before. The romance exhaled like
a morning mist, and the facts came

321
00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:18,880
out distinctly. They learned what kind
of a man and woman they actually were,

322
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:23,000
and two idealized creatures were sent to
limbo. Because I don't blunder upon

323
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,200
the woman I wish to marry,
but pick her out. That's no reason

324
00:24:26,279 --> 00:24:30,960
I can't and won't love her.
Your analysis and judgment were correct only up

325
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:36,400
to date. You have now to
meet a suit honestly openly announced. This

326
00:24:36,599 --> 00:24:38,880
may be bad policy on my part, yet I have so much faith in

327
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,440
you and respect for you, that
I don't believe you will let my precipitation,

328
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:47,799
create a prejudice, give me a
fair hearing, That's all I ask.

329
00:24:48,759 --> 00:24:52,079
Well, well, I'll promise not
to frown, even though some finer

330
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,799
paragon would throw me completely in the
shade. You don't believe in me yet,

331
00:24:56,839 --> 00:25:00,359
he resumed, after a moment of
thought. I felt that I had

332
00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,799
blundered awfully a while ago, but
I doubt it. A girl of your

333
00:25:03,839 --> 00:25:07,960
perceptions would soon have seen it all. I've not lost anything by being frank

334
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:12,039
from the start. Be just to
me, however, It wasn't policy that

335
00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:17,240
led me to speak, but this
homelike scene, and you appearing like the

336
00:25:17,279 --> 00:25:21,319
good genius of a home. He
pulled out his watch and gave a low

337
00:25:21,319 --> 00:25:25,720
whistle as he held it toward her. Then his manner suddenly became grave and

338
00:25:25,839 --> 00:25:30,200
gentle. Carrie, he said,
I wish you not a merry Christmas,

339
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,640
but a happy one, and many
of them. It seems to me it

340
00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:37,319
would be a great privilege for a
man to make a woman like you happy.

341
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:41,160
Is this the beginning of the suit, she asked, with a laugh

342
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,319
that was a little forced. I
don't know. Perhaps it is, but

343
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,799
I spoke just as I felt.
Good night. She would not admit of

344
00:25:48,839 --> 00:25:53,079
a trace of sentiment on her part. Good Night, she said, Merry

345
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:57,680
Christmas, go home and hang up
your stocking. Bless me, she thought,

346
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:02,160
as she went slowly up the stairs. I thought it was going to

347
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:04,279
be through with him for good and
all, except as a friend. But

348
00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:08,680
if he goes on this way,
the next morning, a basket of superb

349
00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:12,920
roses was left at her home.
There was no card, and Mamma queried

350
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:18,039
and surmised, but the girl knew
they were not displeasing to her, and

351
00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,680
somehow, before the day was over
they found their way to her room.

352
00:26:22,319 --> 00:26:26,559
But she shook her head decidedly,
as she said, he must be careful

353
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,000
not to send me other gifts,
for I will return them instantly. Flowers

354
00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:36,000
in moderation never commit a girl.
But then came another gift, a book

355
00:26:36,039 --> 00:26:41,000
of pencilings here and there, not
against sentimental passages, but words that made

356
00:26:41,079 --> 00:26:45,880
her think it was his manner in
society, however, that at once annoyed,

357
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,960
perplexed and pleased her. On the
first occasion they met in the company

358
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,400
with others, he made it clear
to every one that he was her suitor.

359
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,480
Yet he was not a burr which
she could not shake. Off.

360
00:26:56,039 --> 00:27:00,160
He rather seconded all her efforts to
have a good time with any and every

361
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:06,480
one she chose. Nor did he
wallflower, fashion mope in the meanwhile and

362
00:27:06,519 --> 00:27:10,920
look unutterable things. He added to
the pleasure of a score of others,

363
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,839
and even conciliated Lottie, Yet at
the same time surrounded the girl of his

364
00:27:15,039 --> 00:27:22,119
choice with an atmosphere of unobtrusive devotion. She was congratulated on her conquest,

365
00:27:22,559 --> 00:27:26,720
rather maliciously so by Lottie. Her
air of courteous indifference was well maintained,

366
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:32,759
Yet she was a woman and could
not help being flattered. Certain generous straits

367
00:27:32,799 --> 00:27:37,039
in her nature were touched also by
a homage which yielded everything and exacted nothing.

368
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:42,039
The holidays soon passed and he returned
to his work. She learned,

369
00:27:42,039 --> 00:27:48,039
incidentally, that he toiled faithfully,
instead of mooning around at every coin of

370
00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:52,319
vantage she found him, or some
token of his ceaseless effort. She was

371
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:56,000
compelled to think of him and to
think well of him. Though Mamma and

372
00:27:56,039 --> 00:28:00,599
Papa judiciously said little, it was
evident that they liked the style of lover

373
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,519
into which he was developing. Once
during the summer, she said, I

374
00:28:04,559 --> 00:28:07,680
don't think it's right to let you
go on in this way any longer.

375
00:28:08,759 --> 00:28:14,400
Are my attentions so very annoying?
No? Indeed, a girl never had

376
00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,319
a more agreeable or useful friend.
Are you engaged to some other fellow?

377
00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:22,599
Of course not? You know better. There is no, of course,

378
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,880
not about it. I couldn't and
wouldn't lay a straw in the way.

379
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:32,640
You are not bound, but I
you bound. Certainly You must remember what

380
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:37,759
I said, then I must except
the first man that asked me. I

381
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,599
ask you no some one else so
as to unloose your conscience and give you

382
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:47,319
a happy deliverance. You would leave
me still bound and hopeless. In that

383
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:52,000
case, I love you now,
Carrie Mitchell, Oh dear, you are

384
00:28:52,079 --> 00:28:56,680
incorrigible. It's just a lawyer's persistence
in winning a suit. You can still

385
00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:02,559
swear on the dictionary that you don't
love me at all. I might on

386
00:29:02,799 --> 00:29:07,880
the dictionary there I won't talk about
such things any more. And she resolutely

387
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:12,559
changed the subject. But she couldn't
swear even on the dictionary. She didn't

388
00:29:12,599 --> 00:29:17,720
know where she stood or how it
would all end. But with increasing frequency,

389
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:22,160
the words I love you now haunted
her, waking and dreaming hours.

390
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:26,079
The holidays were near again, and
then came a letter from Marstern asking her

391
00:29:26,119 --> 00:29:30,920
to take another sleigh ride with him
on Christmas Eve. His concluding words were,

392
00:29:32,559 --> 00:29:34,480
there is no other woman in the
world that I want on the other

393
00:29:34,599 --> 00:29:38,960
side of me. She kissed these
words, then looked around in a startled,

394
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:45,400
shamefaced manner, blushing even in the
solitude of her room. Christmas Eve

395
00:29:45,519 --> 00:29:48,920
came, but with it a wild
storm of wind and sleet. She was

396
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:53,240
surprised at the depth of her disappointment. Would he even come to call through

397
00:29:53,279 --> 00:29:57,839
such a tempest? He did come, and come early, and she said

398
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:02,200
demurely, I I did not expect
you on such a night as this.

399
00:30:03,519 --> 00:30:07,519
He looked at her for a moment, half humorously, half seriously, and

400
00:30:07,599 --> 00:30:11,759
her eyes drooped before his. You
will know better what to expect next time,

401
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:18,440
was his comment. When is next
time? Any and every time which

402
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,880
gives me a chance to see you? Who should know that better than you?

403
00:30:22,319 --> 00:30:26,599
Are you never going to give up? She asked, with averted face,

404
00:30:26,599 --> 00:30:30,599
Not till you become engaged. Hush, They are all in the parlor.

405
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:34,559
Well. They ought to know as
much. By this time also,

406
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,759
she thought it was astonishing how he
made himself at home in the family circle.

407
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,799
In half an hour, there was
scarcely any restraint left because a visitor

408
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:49,000
was present, Yet, as if
impelled by some mysterious influence, one after

409
00:30:49,039 --> 00:30:55,079
another slipped out, and Carrie saw
with strange little thrills of dismay that she

410
00:30:55,119 --> 00:30:59,799
would soon be alone with that indomitable
lawyer. She signaled to her mother,

411
00:31:00,039 --> 00:31:03,240
but the old lady's eyes were glued
to her knitting. At last they were

412
00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:07,680
alone, and she expected a prompt
and powerful appeal from the plaintiff. But

413
00:31:07,839 --> 00:31:12,000
Marston drew his chair to the opposite
side of the hearth and chatted so easily,

414
00:31:12,559 --> 00:31:18,319
naturally and kindly, that her trepidation
passed utterly. It began to grow

415
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,319
late, and a heavier gust than
usual shook the house. It appeared to

416
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:26,519
waken him to the dire necessity of
breasting the gale, and he rose and

417
00:31:26,599 --> 00:31:30,839
said, I feel as if I
could sit here forever, Carrie. It's

418
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:36,200
just the impression I had a year
ago. Tonight, You sitting there by

419
00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:40,599
the fire, gave then, and
give now to this place the irresistible charm

420
00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:45,640
of home. I think I had
then the decided beginning of the divine gravitation.

421
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,880
Wasn't that what you called it?
Which has been growing so strong ever

422
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,359
since? You thought then that the
ice water I waited was in my veins?

423
00:31:53,599 --> 00:31:56,599
Do you think so? Now?
If you do, I shall have

424
00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:01,079
to take another year to prove the
contrary. Neither am I convinced of the

425
00:32:01,119 --> 00:32:05,759
absurdity of my course, as you
put it. Then, I studied you

426
00:32:05,839 --> 00:32:09,359
coolly and deliberately before I began to
love you, and reason and judgment have

427
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,960
had no chance to jeer at my
love. But Hedley, she began with

428
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:19,400
a slight tremor in her tones.
You are idealizing me as certainly as the

429
00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,480
blindest. I've plenty of faults.
I haven't denied that. So have I

430
00:32:23,599 --> 00:32:28,680
plenty of faults. What right have
I to demand a perfection I can't offer.

431
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,160
I have known people to marry who
imagined each other perfect, and then

432
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:37,960
come to court for a separation on
the ground of incompatibility of temperament. They

433
00:32:37,039 --> 00:32:42,240
learned the meaning of that long word
too late, and were scarcely longer about

434
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:46,279
it than the word itself. Now
I'm satisfied that I could cordially agree with

435
00:32:46,319 --> 00:32:51,480
you on some points, unlovingly disagree
with you on others. Chief of all,

436
00:32:51,519 --> 00:32:54,480
it's your instinct to make a home. You appear better at your own

437
00:32:54,559 --> 00:33:00,720
fireside than when in full dress at
a reception. You see here, you've

438
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,640
got to give up this suit at
last. I'm engaged, and she looked

439
00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:08,519
away as if she could not meet
his eyes. Engaged, he said,

440
00:33:08,559 --> 00:33:15,119
slowly, looking at her with startled
eyes. Well about the same as engaged.

441
00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:19,720
My heart has certainly gone from me
beyond recall. He drew a long

442
00:33:19,799 --> 00:33:23,880
breath. I was foolish enough to
begin to hope. He faltered, You

443
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:28,799
must dismiss hope to night. Then
she said, her face still averted.

444
00:33:29,559 --> 00:33:32,599
He was silent, and she slowly
turned toward him. He had sunk into

445
00:33:32,599 --> 00:33:37,960
a chair and buried his face in
his hands, the picture of dejected defeat.

446
00:33:37,799 --> 00:33:42,559
There was a sudden flash of mirth
through tear jimmed eyes, a glance

447
00:33:42,599 --> 00:33:46,559
at the clock, then noiseless steps, and she was on her knees beside

448
00:33:46,599 --> 00:33:52,279
him, her arms around his neck, her blushing face near his wondering eyes,

449
00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:55,519
as she breathed, Happy Christmas,
Hedley, how do you like your

450
00:33:55,519 --> 00:34:00,680
first gift? And what room is
there now for hope? End of a

451
00:34:00,759 --> 00:34:04,240
Christmas Eve? Suit by Edward P. Rowe,