But he had seen these evil spirits exorcised,
and in their place was coming a noble, womanly soul--sweet,
tender, and strong--and the perfect form and features seemed but
a transparent mould, a crystal vase into which heaven was pouring
a new and divine life. Why should he not long to escape from the
dusty matter-of-fact world and witness this spiritual repetition
of the most beautiful story of the past? Thus his philosophical
mind was able once more to reason the whole matter out clearly and
prove that his wish to annihilate the intervening hours before he
could dare to present himself to Ida Mayhew, was the most natural
and proper desire imaginable. He concluded that a walk through
Central Park might banish his disquietude, and leave time for a
careful toilet, since for some occult reason the occasion seemed
to him to require unusual preparation.
He knew he was unfashionably early when he rang Mr. Mayhew's
door-bell, but he had found it impossible to curb his impatience
to see in what new aspect Ida would present herself that evening.
A hundred times he had queried how she would appear in her own
home, how she would preside as hostess, and whether the taste of the
florid and fashionable mother would not be so apparent as to annoy
him like a bad tone in the picture.
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