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Bellamy, Edward, 1850-1898

"The Duke of Stockbridge"

And again you would have
certainly thought that he was fishing for the frogs at the bottom of
the well instead of drawing water, so long did he stand leaning over
the well-curb, before he bethought himself to loose his hold on the
rope and let the ponderous well-sweep bring up the bucket.
He had not seen Desire Edwards since the Wednesday afternoon when she
had called, but he knew he should see her at meeting. It was she who
was responsible for the daydreaming way in which he was going about
this morning, and for a good deal of previous daydreaming and night
dreaming, too, in the last few days. The analogy of the tender passion
to the chills and fever, had been borne out in his case by the usual
alternations of complacency and depression. He told himself, that since
he remembered so well his boyish courtship of her, she, too, doubtless
remembered it. A woman was even more likely than a man to remember such
things. Doubtless, she remembered too, that kiss she had given him. Her
coming to him to ask his protection for her aunt, if she remembered
those passages had some significance. She must have known that he would
also remember them, and surely that would have deterred her from
reopening their acquaintance had she found the reminiscences in
question disagreeable.


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