"
She averted her face still farther, and said in a low constrained
tone:
"My family, then, consent that I should marry Mr. Sibley?"
"No; we submit to the marriage as an odious necessity, on condition
that you put the whole matter into your mother's hands and allow
her to arrange everything according to society's requirements."
"Please let me understand you," she said in a lower voice. "My
family offer to submit to the marriage as a dire necessity lest my
relations with Mr. Sibley cover them with a deeper shame?"
"Well, in plain English, yes."
"It is indeed extraordinarily plain English--brutally plain. And
does--does Mr. Van Berg share in your estimate of me?"
Her manner and words began to puzzle Stanton, and he remembered
the artist's question--"Are you absolutely sure that Sibley is the
cause of her trouble?" He thought that perhaps it might be good
policy to contrast the two men.
"To be frank," he replied, "I think Mr. Van Berg has both wished
and tried to think well of you. He admired your beauty immensely,
and sought to find something in your character that corresponded with
it. Even after your studied rudeness to him, your open preference
of Sibley's society to his, and your remark explaining your course,
'congenial society or none at all'" (Ida fairly groaned as he
recalled her folly), "he tried to treat you politely.
Pages:
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390