She felt
that the artist's eyes were upon her; and in the blind impulse to
shield her secret, which then was so vividly plain to her consciousness,
she raised her head suddenly, and with a reckless laugh remarked:
"For a wonder I also can half agree with Mr. Van Berg--congenial
society for me or none at all."
A second later she could have bitten her tongue out before uttering
words virtually claimed Sibley as her most congenial companion.
"Miss Mayhew is better than most of us in that she lives up to her
theories," Van Berg remarked, coldly.
Her eyes shot at him a sudden flash of impotent protest and resentment,
and then she lowered her head with a flush of the deepest shame.
At that moment a loud discordant laugh from Sibley caused many to
look around toward him, and not a few shook their heads and exchanged
significant glances, intimating that they thought the young man
was in a "bad way."
"Your philosophy, Mr. Van Berg," said Miss Burton, "may answer very
well for the wise and fortunate, for those whose lives are as yet
unspoiled and unblighted by themselves or others. But even an
artist, who by his vocation gives his attention to the beautiful,
must nevertheless see that there are many in the world who are neither
wise nor fortunate--who seem predestined by their circumstances,
folly, and defective natures to blunder and sin till they reach
a point where reason and intelligence can do little more for them
than reveal how foolish and wrong they have been, or how great
a good they have missed and lost irrevocably.
Pages:
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297