Page 127 - The snake's pass

CONFIDENCES. — 115 ;
even in his affections, and there is some conscious power
to him which follows the conviction that the danger of
him—which is his intention—is recognized.
However, I thought it best to be prudent, and to rest
on success—for a while, at least. I therefore commenced
to talk of London, whose wonders were but fresh to
myself, and was rewarded by the bright smile that
had now become incorporated with my dreams by day and
by night.
And so we talked—talked in simple companionship
and the time fled by on golden wings. No word of love
was spoken or even hinted at, but with joy and gratitude
unspeakable I began to realize that we were en rapport.
And more than this, I realized that the beautiful peasant
girl had great gifts—a heart of gold, a sweet, pure
nature, and a rare intelligence. I gathered that she had
had some education, though not an extensive one, and
that she had followed up at home such subjects as she
had learned in school. But this was all I gathered. I
was still as ignorant as ever of her name, and all else
beside, as when I had first heard her sweet voice on the
hill-top.
Perhaps I might have learned more, had there been
time; but the limit of my knowledge had been fixed.
The time had fled so quickly, because so happily, that
neither of us had taken account of it ; and suddenly,
as a long red ray struck over the hill-top from the
sun now preparing for his plunge into the western
wave, she jumped to heir feet with a startled cry: