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Speaker 1: A Christmas Eve suit. The Christmas holidays had come, and

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with them a welcome vacation for Hedley Marston. Although as

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yet a briefless young lawyer, he had a case in

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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.

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It must not be imagined that the young women were

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pressing their claims, except as they did so unconsciously by

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

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not the first lawyer who had clients over whom midnight

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oil was burned, they remaining unaware of the fact. If

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not yet a constitutional attorney, he was at least constitutionally one.

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Falling helplessly in love with one girl simplifies matters. There

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are no distracting pros and cons, nothing required but a

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concentration of faculties to win the enslaver and so achieve mastery.

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Marsden did not appear amenable to the subtle influences which

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blind the eyes and dethrone reason, inspiring in its place

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an overwhelming impulse to capture a fortuitous girl, because to

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a heated imagination, she surpasses all her sex. Indeed, he

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was level headed enough to believe that he would never

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capture any such girl, but he hoped to secure one

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who promised to make as good a wife as he

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would try to be a husband. And with a fair

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amount of self esteem, he was conscious of imperfections. Therefore,

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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

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cold blooded fashion, endeavored to discover what they actually were.

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He had observed that a good deal of prose followed

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the poetry of wooing and the lunacy of the honeymoon,

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and he thought it might be well to criticize a

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little before marriage as well as after it. There were

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a number of charming girls in the social circle of

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his native town, and he had, during later years made

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himself quite impartially agreeable to them. Indeed, without much effort

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on his part, he had become what is known as

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a general favorite. He had been too diligent a student

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to become a society man, but was ready enough in

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vacation periods to make the most of every country frolic,

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and even on great occasions, to rush up from the

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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.

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While on these occasions he had shared in the prevailing hilarity,

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he nevertheless had the presentiment that some one of the laughing,

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light footed girls would one day pour his coffee and

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send him to his office in either a good or

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bad mood, to grapple with the problems awaiting him there.

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He had, in a measure decided that when he married,

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it should be to a girl whom he had played

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with in childhood and whom he knew a good deal about,

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and not to a chance acquaintance of the world at large.

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So beneath all his diversified gallantries he had maintained a

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quiet little policy of observation until his thoughts had gradually

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gathered around two of his young associates, who unconsciously to

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themselves as we have said, but in stronger and stronger

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claims every time he saw them. They asserted these claims

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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

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being better than the others. He had not made them aware,

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even by manner of the distinction accorded to them, and

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as yet he was merely a friend. But the time

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had come, he believed for definite action. While he weighed

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and considered, some prompter fellows might take the case out

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of his hands entirely. Therefore, he welcomed this vacation and

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the opportunities it afforded. The festivities began with what is

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termed in the country a large party, and Carrie Mitchell

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and Lottie Waldo were both there, resplendent in new gowns

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made for the occasion. Marston thought them both charming. They

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danced equally well and talked nonsense with much the same

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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

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any aid. They were general favorites as well as himself,

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although it was evident that to some they might become more.

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But they were apparently in the heyday of their girlhood,

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and thus far had preferred miscellaneous admiration to individual devotion.

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By the time the evening was over, Marston felt that

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if life consisted of large parties, he might as well

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settle the question by the toss of a copper. It

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must not be supposed that he was such a conceited

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prig as to imagine that such a fortuitous proceeding, or

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his best efforts afterward, could settle the question as it

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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

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from which town he can carry off the richest booty.

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That is, in case he can capture any one of them,

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his overtures for capitulation might be met with the slings

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and arrows of outrageous fortune, and he be sent limping

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off the field. Nevertheless, no man regrets that he must

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take the initiative, and he would be less than a

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man who would fear to do so. When it came

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to this point in the affair, Marston shrugged his shoulders

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and thought, I must take my chances like the rest.

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But he wished to be sure that he had attained

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

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to wish afterward it had been the other. His course,

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that evening proved that he not only had a legal

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cast of mind, but also a judicial one. He invited

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both Miss Mitchell and Miss Waldo to take a sleigh

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ride with him the following evening, fancying that when sandwiched

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between them in the cutter, he could impartially note his impressions.

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His unsuspecting clients laughingly accepted, utterly unaware of the momentous

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character of the trial scene before them. As Marston smoked

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a cigar before retiring that night, he admitted to himself

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that it was rather a remarkable court that was about

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to be held. He was the only advocate for the

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claims of each and finally he proposed to take a

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seat on the bench and judge between them. Indeed, before

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he slept, he decided to take that august position at

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once and maintain a judicial impartiality while noting his impressions.

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

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and when Marston drove to Miss Waldo's door, he asked himself,

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could a fellow ask for anything daintier and finer than

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the red lipped, dark eyed girl revealed by the hall

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lamp as she tripped lightly out, her anxious mamma following

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her with words of unheeded caution about not taking cold

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and coming home early. He had not traversed the mile

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which intervened between the residences of the two girls before.

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He almost wished he could continue the drive under the

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present auspices, and that, as in the old times, he

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could take toll at every bridge and encircle his companion

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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

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Miss Lottie's wit, and the chime of the bells was

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not merrier or more musical than her voice. But when

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a little later he saw blue eyed Carrie Mitchell in

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her furs and hood silhouetted in the window, his old

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dilemma became as perplexing as ever. Nevertheless, it was the

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most delightful uncertainty that he had ever experienced, and he

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had a presentiment that he had better make the most

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of it, since it could not last much longer. Meanwhile,

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he was hedged about with blessings, clearly not in disguise,

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and he gave utterance to this truth as they drove away.

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Surely there was never so lucky a fellow here. I

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am kept warm and happy by the two finest girls

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in town. Yes, said Lottie. And it's a shame you

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can't sit on both sides of us. I assure you,

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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

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I can keep on the right side of people. Well,

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you are not on the right side to night, interrupted Lottie.

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Good gracious, thought Marston. She's next to my heart. I

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wonder if that will give her unfair advantage. But Carrie explained,

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of course I was speaking metaphorically in that aspect of

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the case. It would be ashamed to me if any

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side I have is not right toward those who have

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so honored me. He hastened to say, Oh, Carrie has

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

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you like to exchange places? Was the query flashed back

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by Carrie. Oh no, I'm quite as content as you are.

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Why then, since I am more than content exultant? Indeed,

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it appears that we all start from excellent premises to

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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

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must be a tongue sandwich and be very entertaining. He

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did his best, the two girls seconding his efforts so

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genially that he found himself, after driving five miles, psychologically

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just where he was physically between them as near to

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one in his thoughts and preferences as to the other.

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Let us take the river road home, suggested Lottie. As

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long as you agree, he answered, You both are sovereign potentates.

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If you should express conflicting wishes, I should have to

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stop here in the road till one abdicated in favor

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of the other, or we all froze. But you, sitting

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so snugly between us, would not freeze, said Lottie. If

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we were obstinate, we would have to assume our pleasantest expressions,

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and then you could eventually take us home as bits

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of sculpture. In fact, I'm getting cold already, are you also,

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miss Carrie? 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

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the river looks. Why can't we drive home on the ice?

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It will save myles. I mean it looks so inviting. Oh, dear,

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cried Carrie, I feel like protesting now. The longest way

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round may be both the shortest and safest way home.

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You ladies shall decide this morning, I drove over the

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rout we would take to night, and I should not

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fear to take a ton of coal over it. A

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comparison suggesting warmth and a great fire. I vote for

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the river, said Lotty promptly. Oh well, mister Marston, if

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

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to feel reasonably safe, I declare, thought Marston, Lotty is

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the braver and more brilliant girl, and the fact that

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she is not inclined to forego the comfort of the

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home fire for the pleasure of my company reveals the

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difficulty of, and therefore incentive to, the suit I may

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decide to enter upon before New Year's Meanwhile, his high

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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.

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Granting that she had not been so brilliant as Lottie,

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she had been eminently companionable in a more quiet way.

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If there had not been such bursts of enthusiasm at

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the beginning of the drive, her enjoyment appeared to have

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more staying powers. He liked her none the less that

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her eyes were often turned towards the stars or the

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dark silhouettes of the leafless trees against the snow. She

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did not keep saying, Ah, how lovely, what a fine

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bit that is. But he had only to follow her

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eyes to see something worth looking at. A proof that

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Miss Carrie also is not so preoccupied with the pleasure

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of my company that she has no thoughts for other things,

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cogitated Marston. It's rather in her favor that she prefers

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nature to a great fire thereabout even Yet, meanwhile, the

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horse was speeding along on the white, hard expanse of

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the river skirting the west. They now had only about

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a mile to drive before striking land again, and the

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scene was so beautiful, with the great dim outlines of

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the mountains before them, that both the girls suggested that

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they should go leisurely for a time. We shouldn't hastily

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and carelessly pass such a picture as that, any more

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than one would if a fine copy of it were

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

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brilliant along the brow of that highland yonder that they

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form a. Dah, oh, oh, what is the matter, and

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she clung to Marston's arm. The horse was breaking through

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the ice. Whoa, said Marston firmly. Even as he spoke,

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Lottie was out of the sleigh and running back on

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the ice, crying and wringing her hands. We shall be drowned,

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she almost screamed hysterically, mister Marston, what shall we do?

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Can't we turn around and go back the way we came?

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Miss Carrie, will you do what I ask? Will you

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believe me when I say that I do not think

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you are in any danger? Yes, I'll do my best,

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she replied, catching her breath. She grew calm rapidly as

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he tried to reassure Lotty, telling her that the water

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from the rising tide had overflowed the main ice and

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that thin ice had formed over it. Also that the

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river at the most was only two or three feet

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deep at that point, but all was of no avail.

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Lotty stood out upon the ice in a panic, declaring

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that he should never have brought them into such danger,

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and that he must turn around at once and go

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back as they came. But miss Waldo, the tide is rising,

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

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

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will drive slowly across this place and then return for

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you after we have been across it twice. You surely

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won't fear. I won't be left alone. Suppose you two

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

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00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,879
You would be better off than we, he replied, laughing.

238
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,879
I think it's hard to laugh. Oh I'm so cold

239
00:14:01,879 --> 00:14:04,200
and frightened. I feel as if the ice were giving

240
00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:08,039
way under my feet. Why, miss Lottie, we just drove

241
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,519
over that spot where you stand here. Miss Carrie, shall

242
00:14:11,519 --> 00:14:14,159
stay with you while I drive back and forth a loane.

243
00:14:14,759 --> 00:14:17,240
Then if you were drowned, we'd both be left alone

244
00:14:17,279 --> 00:14:20,320
to freeze to death. I pledge you my word. You

245
00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,679
shall be by that grape fire within less than an

246
00:14:22,679 --> 00:14:26,039
hour if you will trust me five minutes. Oh well,

247
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,799
if you will risk your life and ours too. But Carrie,

248
00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,639
you must stay with me. Will you trust me, Miss Carrie,

249
00:14:32,679 --> 00:14:36,440
and help me out of this scrape? Carrie was recovering

250
00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,120
from her panic and replied, I have given you my promise.

251
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,320
He was out of the sleigh instantly, and the thin

252
00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,559
ice broke with him. Also, I must carry you a

253
00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,159
short distance, he said, I cannot allow you to get

254
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,879
your feet wet. Put one arm around my neck, so

255
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,039
now please obey as you promised. She did so without

256
00:14:56,039 --> 00:14:59,399
a word, and he bore her beyond the water, inwardly

257
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:04,039
exalting and blessing that thin ice. His decision was coming

258
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:08,000
with the passing seconds. Indeed it had come. Returning to

259
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,519
the sleigh, he drove slowly forward, his horse making a

260
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:16,320
terrible crunching and splashing Lotti, meanwhile keeping up a staccato

261
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:21,240
accompaniment of little shrieks. Ah, my charming creature, He thought,

262
00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,080
with you, it was only what will become of me.

263
00:15:24,559 --> 00:15:27,080
I might not have found out until it was too late,

264
00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,120
the relative importance of me in the universe had we

265
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,519
not struck this bad crossing. And one comes to plenty

266
00:15:33,559 --> 00:15:37,159
of bad places to cross in a lifetime. The area

267
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,759
of thin ice was not very narrow, and he was

268
00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,720
becoming but a dim and shadowy outline to the girls.

269
00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,840
Lotty was now screaming for his return. Having crossed the

270
00:15:46,919 --> 00:15:50,879
overflowed space and absolutely assured himself that there was no danger,

271
00:15:51,279 --> 00:15:54,600
he returned more rapidly and found Carrie trying to calm

272
00:15:54,639 --> 00:15:58,799
her companion. Oh, sobbed Lottie. My feet are wet and

273
00:15:58,919 --> 00:16:02,120
almost frozen. The ice underneath may have borne you, but

274
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,720
it won't bear all three of us. Oh dear, I

275
00:16:04,799 --> 00:16:08,000
wish I hadn't. I wish I was home, and I

276
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,559
feel as if I'd never get there, Miss Lottie. I

277
00:16:11,639 --> 00:16:13,840
assure you that the ice will hold a ton. But

278
00:16:13,879 --> 00:16:16,120
I'll tell you what I'll do. I shall put you

279
00:16:16,159 --> 00:16:18,440
in the sleigh, and Miss Carrie will drive you over.

280
00:16:18,879 --> 00:16:21,399
You two together do not weigh much more than I do.

281
00:16:21,759 --> 00:16:24,120
I'll walk just behind you with my hands on the

282
00:16:24,159 --> 00:16:26,840
back of the sleigh, and if I see the slightest danger,

283
00:16:26,879 --> 00:16:28,960
I'll lift you out of the sleigh first and carry

284
00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:33,440
you to safety. This proposition promised so well that she hesitated,

285
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,320
and he lifted her instantly before she could change her mind,

286
00:16:36,879 --> 00:16:39,840
then helped carry in with a quiet pressure of the hand.

287
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,440
As much as to say, I shall depend on you,

288
00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,000
But mister Marston, your feet will get wet, protested Carrie.

289
00:16:47,639 --> 00:16:50,759
That doesn't matter, he replied, good naturedly. I shall be

290
00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,200
no worse offt than Miss Lottie, and I'm determined to

291
00:16:53,279 --> 00:16:57,399
convince her of safety. Now go straight ahead as I direct.

292
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,559
Once the horse stumbled and Lottie thought he was going

293
00:17:00,639 --> 00:17:06,400
down head first. Oh lift me out, quick, quick, she cried, Yes, indeed,

294
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,759
I will miss Lottie as soon as we are opposite

295
00:17:08,759 --> 00:17:12,680
that great fire of yours. They were soon safely over,

296
00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,039
and within a half hour reached Lottie's home. It was

297
00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:18,880
evident she was a little ashamed of her behavior, and

298
00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,960
she made some effort to retrieve herself, but she was

299
00:17:22,039 --> 00:17:25,240
cold and miserable, vexed with herself, and still more vexed

300
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,839
with Marstern that a latent sense of justice forbade The

301
00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:33,440
latter feeling only irritated her. The more individuals, as well

302
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,640
as communities, must have scapegoats, and it is not an

303
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,599
unusual impulse on the part of some to blame and

304
00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,240
dislike those before whom they have humiliated themselves. She gave

305
00:17:44,279 --> 00:17:47,400
her companions a rather formal invitation to come in and

306
00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,519
get warm before proceeding further, but Marston said very politely

307
00:17:51,599 --> 00:17:54,039
that he thought it was too late unless Miss Carrie

308
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,960
was cold. Carrie protested that she was not so cold,

309
00:17:58,039 --> 00:18:00,200
but that she could easily wait till she reached her

310
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,920
own fireside. Well, good night then, and the door was

311
00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:09,799
shut a trifle emphatically, mister Marston said, Carrie sympathetically, your

312
00:18:09,839 --> 00:18:12,519
feet must be very cold and wet after splashing through

313
00:18:12,519 --> 00:18:16,000
all that ice water. They are, he replied, but I

314
00:18:16,079 --> 00:18:18,519
don't mind it. Well, if I had tried for years,

315
00:18:18,519 --> 00:18:20,559
I could not have found such a test of character

316
00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,680
as we had to night. What do you mean, Oh, well,

317
00:18:24,799 --> 00:18:27,799
you two girls did not behave exactly alike. I like

318
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,799
the way you behaved. You helped me out of a

319
00:18:29,839 --> 00:18:33,599
confounded scrape. Would you have tried for years to find

320
00:18:33,599 --> 00:18:37,519
a test? She asked, concealing the keenness of her query

321
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,920
under a laugh. I should have been well rewarded if

322
00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:45,720
I had by such a fine contrast, he replied. Carrie's

323
00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,799
faculties had not so congealed, but that his words set

324
00:18:48,839 --> 00:18:52,319
her thinking. She had entertained at times the impression that

325
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,000
she and Lottie were his favorites. Had he taken them

326
00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,640
out that night together in hope of contrasts a finding

327
00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,799
test that would help his halting decision, He had ventured

328
00:19:03,799 --> 00:19:06,599
where the intuitions of a girl like Carrie Mitchell were

329
00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:10,000
almost equal to second sight, and she was alert for

330
00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:14,319
what would come next, He accepted her invitation to come

331
00:19:14,319 --> 00:19:16,519
in and warm his feet at the glowing fire in

332
00:19:16,599 --> 00:19:21,720
the grate, which Carrie's father had made before retiring. Missus Mitchell,

333
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,799
feeling that her daughter was with an old friend and playmate,

334
00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,799
did not think the presence of a chaperone essential and

335
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,960
left the young people alone. Carrie bustled about, brought cake

336
00:19:32,039 --> 00:19:35,240
and made hot lemonade, while Marston stretched his feet to

337
00:19:35,319 --> 00:19:38,440
the grate with a luxurious sense of comfort and complacency,

338
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,720
thinking how homelike it all was, and how paradisical life

339
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,599
would become if such a charming little he bee presided

340
00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:50,440
over his home. His lemonade became nectar offered by such hands.

341
00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,039
She saw the different expression in his eyes. It was

342
00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:57,960
now homage decided preference for one, and not mere gallantry

343
00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,839
to two. Outwardly, she would to merely oblivious and maintain

344
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:06,160
simply her wonted friendliness. Marston, however, was thawing in more

345
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,119
senses than one, and he was possessed by a strong

346
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,319
impulse to begin an open siege at once. I haven't

347
00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:16,519
had a single suit of any kind yet, Carrie, he said,

348
00:20:17,039 --> 00:20:20,119
dropping the prefix of miss which had gradually been adopted

349
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,359
as they had grown up. Oh well, that was the

350
00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,880
position of all the great lawyers once, she replied, laughing.

351
00:20:27,839 --> 00:20:31,000
Marston's father was wealthy, and all knew that he could

352
00:20:31,039 --> 00:20:34,559
afford to be briefless for a time. I may never

353
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,920
be great, but I shall work as hard as any

354
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:40,640
of them, he continued, to tell you the honest truth. However,

355
00:20:40,799 --> 00:20:43,319
this would be the happiest Christmas Eve of my life

356
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,519
if I had a downright suit on my hands. Why

357
00:20:46,519 --> 00:20:48,519
can't I be frank with you and say I'd like

358
00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:51,079
to begin the chief suit of my life now, and

359
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,960
here a suit for this little hand. I'd plead for it,

360
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,519
as no lawyer ever pleaded before. I settled that much

361
00:20:58,599 --> 00:21:02,000
down on the ice. And if I hadn't happened to

362
00:21:02,039 --> 00:21:05,240
behave on the ice in a manner agreeable to your lordship,

363
00:21:05,759 --> 00:21:08,920
you would have pleaded with the other girl, she remarked,

364
00:21:09,079 --> 00:21:12,039
withdrawing her hand and looking him directly in the eyes.

365
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:17,400
What makes you think, so, he asked, somewhat confusedly, you

366
00:21:17,519 --> 00:21:20,559
do He sprang up and paced the room for a

367
00:21:20,599 --> 00:21:24,279
few moments, then confronted her with the words, you shall

368
00:21:24,279 --> 00:21:26,759
have the whole truth. Any woman that I would ask

369
00:21:26,839 --> 00:21:29,559
to be. My wife is entitled to that, And he

370
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,079
told her just what the attitude of his mind had

371
00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:36,440
been from the first. She laughed outright, then gave him

372
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,920
her hand, as she said, your honesty ensures that we

373
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,519
can be very good friends. But I don't wish to

374
00:21:42,559 --> 00:21:45,640
hear anything more about suits, which are close of kin

375
00:21:45,759 --> 00:21:49,960
to law suits. He looked very dejected, feeling that he

376
00:21:50,039 --> 00:21:54,839
had blundered fatally in his precipitation. Come now, Hedley, be sensible,

377
00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:59,079
she resumed, half laughing, half serious. As you say, we

378
00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,519
can be frank with you each other. Why only the

379
00:22:01,559 --> 00:22:04,680
other day we were boy and girl together coasting downhill

380
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,359
on the same sled. You are applying your legal jargon

381
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,559
to a deep experience, to something sacred, the result, to

382
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,000
my mind, of a divine instinct. Neither you nor I

383
00:22:16,039 --> 00:22:19,319
have ever felt for each other, this instinctive preference, this

384
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,160
subtle gravitation of the heart. Don't you see your head

385
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,160
has been concerned about me, and only your head. By

386
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,240
a kindred process, you would select one bale of merchandise

387
00:22:29,319 --> 00:22:33,079
and preference to another. Good Gracious, I've faults enough. You'll

388
00:22:33,079 --> 00:22:35,599
meet some other girl that will stand some other test

389
00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:38,119
far better than I. I want a little of what

390
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,559
you call silly romance in my courtship. See I can

391
00:22:41,599 --> 00:22:44,799
talk about this suit as coolly and fluently as you can.

392
00:22:45,319 --> 00:22:47,839
We'd make a nice pair of lovers about as frigid

393
00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,599
as the ice water you waded through so good naturedly.

394
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,559
And the girl's laugh rang out merrily, awakening echoes in

395
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,799
the old house. Mister and missus Mitchell might rest securely

396
00:22:58,839 --> 00:23:01,759
when their daughter could laugh like that. It was the

397
00:23:01,839 --> 00:23:05,200
mirth of a genuine American girl whose self protection was

398
00:23:05,279 --> 00:23:09,000
better than the care of a thousand duennas. He looked

399
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,920
at her with honest admiration in his eyes, then rose

400
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,119
quietly and said, that's fine, Carrie. Your head's worth two

401
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,960
of mine, and you'd make a better lawyer. You see

402
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,839
through a case from top to bottom. You were right.

403
00:23:22,039 --> 00:23:24,160
I wasn't in love with you. I don't know whether

404
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,559
I'm in love with you now, and you haven't an

405
00:23:26,599 --> 00:23:30,960
infinitesimal spark for me. Nevertheless, I begin my suit here

406
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,559
and now I shall never withdraw it till you are

407
00:23:33,599 --> 00:23:38,079
engaged to another fellow. So there, Carrie looked rather blank

408
00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:41,839
at this result of her reductio ad absurdum process, and

409
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,880
he did not help her by adding a fellow isn't

410
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,519
always in love. There must be a beginning. And when

411
00:23:47,559 --> 00:23:50,880
I arrive at this beginning under the guidance of reason, judgment,

412
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,960
and observation, I don't see as I'm any more absurd

413
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,839
than the fellow who tumbles helplessly in love. He doesn't

414
00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,920
know why. What becomes of all these people who have

415
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,720
divine gravitations? You and I both know of some who

416
00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:07,519
have had satanic repulsions. Afterward they use their eyes and

417
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:12,279
critical faculties after marriage instead of before. The romance exhaled

418
00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:15,200
like a morning mist, and the facts came out distinctly.

419
00:24:15,839 --> 00:24:18,079
They learned what kind of a man and woman they

420
00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:22,079
actually were, and two idealized creatures were sent to limbo.

421
00:24:22,599 --> 00:24:25,240
Because I don't blunder upon the woman I wish to marry,

422
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:27,839
but pick her out. That's no reason I can't and

423
00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:31,759
won't love her. Your analysis and judgment were correct only

424
00:24:31,839 --> 00:24:34,319
up to date. You have now to meet a suit

425
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:38,400
honestly openly announced. This may be bad policy on my part,

426
00:24:38,519 --> 00:24:40,759
yet I have so much faith in you and respect

427
00:24:40,799 --> 00:24:43,440
for you, that I don't believe you will let my precipitation,

428
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,279
create a prejudice, give me a fair hearing, That's all

429
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:51,200
I ask. Well, well, I'll promise not to frown, even

430
00:24:51,279 --> 00:24:55,119
though some finer paragon would throw me completely in the shade.

431
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,079
You don't believe in me yet, he resumed, after a

432
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:01,240
moment of thought. I felt that I had blundered awfully

433
00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:03,559
a while ago, but I doubt it. A girl of

434
00:25:03,599 --> 00:25:07,279
your perceptions would soon have seen it all. I've not

435
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,680
lost anything by being frank from the start. Be just

436
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,079
to me, however, It wasn't policy that led me to speak,

437
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,480
but this homelike scene, and you appearing like the good

438
00:25:17,519 --> 00:25:20,680
genius of a home. He pulled out his watch and

439
00:25:20,759 --> 00:25:23,079
gave a low whistle as he held it toward her.

440
00:25:23,519 --> 00:25:28,119
Then his manner suddenly became grave and gentle. Carrie, he said,

441
00:25:28,279 --> 00:25:31,160
I wish you not a merry Christmas, but a happy one,

442
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,920
and many of them. It seems to me it would

443
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,039
be a great privilege for a man to make a

444
00:25:36,039 --> 00:25:39,599
woman like you happy. Is this the beginning of the suit,

445
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,440
she asked, with a laugh that was a little forced.

446
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,160
I don't know. Perhaps it is, but I spoke just

447
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,799
as I felt. Good night. She would not admit of

448
00:25:49,839 --> 00:25:53,759
a trace of sentiment on her part. Good Night, she said,

449
00:25:53,839 --> 00:25:57,880
Merry Christmas, go home and hang up your stocking. Bless me,

450
00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,160
she thought, as she went slowly up the stairs. I

451
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,119
thought it was going to be through with him for

452
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,599
good and all, except as a friend. But if he

453
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,200
goes on this way, the next morning, a basket of

454
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,880
superb roses was left at her home. There was no card,

455
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,440
and Mamma queried and surmised, but the girl knew they

456
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,440
were not displeasing to her, and somehow, before the day

457
00:26:19,559 --> 00:26:22,400
was over they found their way to her room. But

458
00:26:22,519 --> 00:26:25,920
she shook her head decidedly, as she said, he must

459
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,640
be careful not to send me other gifts, for I

460
00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:33,039
will return them instantly. Flowers in moderation never commit a girl.

461
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,039
But then came another gift, a book of pencilings here

462
00:26:37,039 --> 00:26:41,000
and there, not against sentimental passages, but words that made

463
00:26:41,079 --> 00:26:44,839
her think it was his manner in society, however, that

464
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,359
at once annoyed, perplexed and pleased her. On the first

465
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,240
occasion they met in the company with others, he made

466
00:26:51,279 --> 00:26:53,400
it clear to every one that he was her suitor.

467
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,480
Yet he was not a burr which she could not shake. Off.

468
00:26:57,039 --> 00:26:59,559
He rather seconded all her efforts to have a good

469
00:26:59,599 --> 00:27:03,640
time with any and every one she chose. Nor did

470
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:08,279
he wallflower, fashion mope in the meanwhile and look unutterable things.

471
00:27:08,559 --> 00:27:10,920
He added to the pleasure of a score of others,

472
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,240
and even conciliated Lottie, Yet at the same time surrounded

473
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,839
the girl of his choice with an atmosphere of unobtrusive devotion.

474
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:24,519
She was congratulated on her conquest, rather maliciously so by Lottie.

475
00:27:24,839 --> 00:27:28,480
Her air of courteous indifference was well maintained, Yet she

476
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,799
was a woman and could not help being flattered. Certain

477
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:34,839
generous straits in her nature were touched also by a

478
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:39,880
homage which yielded everything and exacted nothing. The holidays soon

479
00:27:40,039 --> 00:27:43,680
passed and he returned to his work. She learned, incidentally,

480
00:27:43,759 --> 00:27:47,559
that he toiled faithfully, instead of mooning around at every

481
00:27:47,599 --> 00:27:50,400
coin of vantage she found him, or some token of

482
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,599
his ceaseless effort. She was compelled to think of him

483
00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,359
and to think well of him. Though Mamma and Papa

484
00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,680
judiciously said little, it was evident that they liked the

485
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,680
style of lover into which he was developing. Once during

486
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,640
the summer, she said, I don't think it's right to

487
00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,920
let you go on in this way any longer. Are

488
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:14,160
my attentions so very annoying? No? Indeed, a girl never

489
00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:18,359
had a more agreeable or useful friend. Are you engaged

490
00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,640
to some other fellow? Of course not? You know better.

491
00:28:22,559 --> 00:28:25,200
There is no, of course, not about it. I couldn't

492
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,400
and wouldn't lay a straw in the way. You are

493
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:32,519
not bound, but I you bound. Certainly You must remember

494
00:28:32,559 --> 00:28:35,759
what I said, then I must except the first man

495
00:28:35,799 --> 00:28:40,279
that asked me. I ask you no some one else

496
00:28:40,359 --> 00:28:42,720
so as to unloose your conscience and give you a

497
00:28:42,759 --> 00:28:47,079
happy deliverance. You would leave me still bound and hopeless.

498
00:28:47,079 --> 00:28:51,480
In that case, I love you now, Carrie Mitchell, Oh dear,

499
00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:55,480
you are incorrigible. It's just a lawyer's persistence in winning

500
00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,039
a suit. You can still swear on the dictionary that

501
00:28:59,119 --> 00:29:02,880
you don't love me at all. I might on the

502
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,400
dictionary there I won't talk about such things any more.

503
00:29:06,839 --> 00:29:11,160
And she resolutely changed the subject. But she couldn't swear

504
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,440
even on the dictionary. She didn't know where she stood

505
00:29:14,599 --> 00:29:17,720
or how it would all end. But with increasing frequency,

506
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,079
the words I love you now haunted her, waking and

507
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:25,200
dreaming hours. The holidays were near again, and then came

508
00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,119
a letter from Marstern asking her to take another sleigh

509
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,920
ride with him on Christmas Eve. His concluding words were,

510
00:29:32,559 --> 00:29:34,640
there is no other woman in the world that I

511
00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,200
want on the other side of me. She kissed these words,

512
00:29:38,319 --> 00:29:42,240
then looked around in a startled, shamefaced manner, blushing even

513
00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:46,119
in the solitude of her room. Christmas Eve came, but

514
00:29:46,279 --> 00:29:49,640
with it a wild storm of wind and sleet. She

515
00:29:49,839 --> 00:29:53,000
was surprised at the depth of her disappointment. Would he

516
00:29:53,079 --> 00:29:56,759
even come to call through such a tempest? He did come,

517
00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,200
and come early, and she said demurely, I I did

518
00:30:00,279 --> 00:30:03,599
not expect you on such a night as this. He

519
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,000
looked at her for a moment, half humorously, half seriously,

520
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:11,240
and her eyes drooped before his. You will know better

521
00:30:11,279 --> 00:30:15,240
what to expect next time, was his comment. When is

522
00:30:15,319 --> 00:30:18,960
next time? Any and every time which gives me a

523
00:30:19,039 --> 00:30:21,880
chance to see you? Who should know that better than you?

524
00:30:23,319 --> 00:30:25,720
Are you never going to give up? She asked, with

525
00:30:25,799 --> 00:30:30,640
averted face, Not till you become engaged. Hush, They are

526
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:34,400
all in the parlor. Well. They ought to know as much.

527
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,279
By this time also, she thought it was astonishing how

528
00:30:38,279 --> 00:30:41,319
he made himself at home in the family circle. In

529
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,279
half an hour, there was scarcely any restraint left because

530
00:30:44,319 --> 00:30:47,559
a visitor was present, Yet, as if impelled by some

531
00:30:47,759 --> 00:30:52,559
mysterious influence, one after another slipped out, and Carrie saw

532
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,640
with strange little thrills of dismay that she would soon

533
00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:59,799
be alone with that indomitable lawyer. She signaled to her mother,

534
00:31:00,039 --> 00:31:02,480
but the old lady's eyes were glued to her knitting.

535
00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:06,200
At last they were alone, and she expected a prompt

536
00:31:06,279 --> 00:31:09,640
and powerful appeal from the plaintiff. But Marston drew his

537
00:31:09,799 --> 00:31:12,319
chair to the opposite side of the hearth and chatted

538
00:31:12,359 --> 00:31:16,880
so easily, naturally and kindly, that her trepidation passed utterly.

539
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,279
It began to grow late, and a heavier gust than

540
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,119
usual shook the house. It appeared to waken him to

541
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,279
the dire necessity of breasting the gale, and he rose

542
00:31:27,359 --> 00:31:31,319
and said, I feel as if I could sit here forever, Carrie.

543
00:31:31,599 --> 00:31:34,160
It's just the impression I had a year ago. Tonight,

544
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,160
You sitting there by the fire, gave then, and give

545
00:31:38,279 --> 00:31:41,880
now to this place the irresistible charm of home. I

546
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,640
think I had then the decided beginning of the divine gravitation.

547
00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:48,839
Wasn't that what you called it? Which has been growing

548
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,319
so strong ever since? You thought then that the ice

549
00:31:52,359 --> 00:31:55,759
water I waited was in my veins? Do you think so? Now?

550
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,559
If you do, I shall have to take another year

551
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:02,079
to prove the contrary. Neither am I convinced of the

552
00:32:02,119 --> 00:32:05,119
absurdity of my course, as you put it. Then, I

553
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:08,440
studied you coolly and deliberately before I began to love you,

554
00:32:08,839 --> 00:32:11,680
and reason and judgment have had no chance to jeer

555
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:15,400
at my love. But Hedley, she began with a slight

556
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,039
tremor in her tones. You are idealizing me as certainly

557
00:32:19,079 --> 00:32:23,640
as the blindest. I've plenty of faults. I haven't denied that.

558
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,559
So have I plenty of faults. What right have I

559
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,960
to demand a perfection I can't offer. I have known

560
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,160
people to marry who imagined each other perfect, and then

561
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:35,720
come to court for a separation on the ground of

562
00:32:35,759 --> 00:32:39,440
incompatibility of temperament. They learned the meaning of that long

563
00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,599
word too late, and were scarcely longer about it than

564
00:32:42,599 --> 00:32:46,759
the word itself. Now I'm satisfied that I could cordially

565
00:32:46,799 --> 00:32:49,759
agree with you on some points, unlovingly disagree with you

566
00:32:49,839 --> 00:32:52,799
on others. Chief of all, it's your instinct to make

567
00:32:52,839 --> 00:32:56,440
a home. You appear better at your own fireside than

568
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:59,960
when in full dress at a reception. You see here,

569
00:33:00,519 --> 00:33:03,519
you've got to give up this suit at last. I'm engaged,

570
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,240
and she looked away as if she could not meet

571
00:33:06,279 --> 00:33:11,200
his eyes. Engaged, he said, slowly, looking at her with

572
00:33:11,279 --> 00:33:15,680
startled eyes. Well about the same as engaged. My heart

573
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:19,440
has certainly gone from me beyond recall. He drew a

574
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:22,960
long breath. I was foolish enough to begin to hope.

575
00:33:23,079 --> 00:33:27,359
He faltered, You must dismiss hope to night. Then she said,

576
00:33:27,519 --> 00:33:31,240
her face still averted. He was silent, and she slowly

577
00:33:31,319 --> 00:33:34,240
turned toward him. He had sunk into a chair and

578
00:33:34,319 --> 00:33:37,960
buried his face in his hands, the picture of dejected defeat.

579
00:33:38,799 --> 00:33:41,920
There was a sudden flash of mirth through tear jimmed eyes,

580
00:33:42,079 --> 00:33:46,000
a glance at the clock, then noiseless steps, and she

581
00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,400
was on her knees beside him, her arms around his neck,

582
00:33:49,799 --> 00:33:53,240
her blushing face near his wondering eyes, as she breathed,

583
00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,319
Happy Christmas, Hedley, how do you like your first gift?

584
00:33:57,599 --> 00:34:01,559
And what room is there now for hope? End of

585
00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,240
a Christmas Eve? Suit by Edward P. Rowe,