" Hence she
postponed it as long as she could, but the Colonel himself gave the
signal by moving back his chair.
An awkward pause followed, which lasted until Rose went to the piano of
her own accord and began to play. At length she drifted into the running
chords of a familiar accompaniment and Allison took his violin and
joined in. As he stood by Rose, the mere fact of his nearness brought
her a strange peace. Had she looked up, she would have seen that though
he stood so near her, he had eyes only for Isabel and was playing to her
alone.
Isabel did not seem to care. She sat with her hands folded idly in her
lap, occasionally glancing at the twins who sat together on a sofa
across the room. Madame Bernard and the Colonel had gone out on the
balcony that opened off of the library.
The night was cool, yet had in it the softness of May. Every wandering
wind brought a subtle, exquisite fragrance from orchards blooming afar.
High in the heavens swung the pale gold moon of Spring.
"What a night," said Madame, almost in a whisper. "It seems almost as if
there never had been another Spring.
Pages:
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172