" He glanced
thoughtfully down at the dainty figure beside him, while Rose wondered
if it would be possible for her to make a remark to which he could not
give a personal application. It was impossible for them to walk on in
silence, as though this were a lover's idle stroll. Her face warmed at
the mere fancy. No, she must e'en try again.
"Particularly when it is a little breeze," she said. "Now, a huge,
awkward, overgrown affair like this changes what ought to be a caress
into an assault."
"Yes; but you brave little creature, how blithely you face it. I wish
I could shelter you from the storm. I wish I could defend you from all
the storms of life."
His voice broke, and the girl felt as though her heart would burst. No
bold, imperious, master spirit was this, demanding her love and life
as if they were his by natural right. It was as though she had been
newly roused by a faint knock at the door; and now, before her foot
was set upon the stair that led down to the entering guest, he had
turned away again.
"I like your way of meeting the tempest," he continued. "You face it
for a moment with mocking defiance, then you step aside to escape a
fierce gust, or turn your head to avoid at least half its violence.
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