Page 91 - Fairbrass

blushed until his ears tingled to think that:
Lhey did not know it. But It did not in the

least matter. All the world might have
heard how that stout-hearted young fellow,

whose worldly prospects enabled him to
choose a wife after his own heart, gradually,

timidly, yet withal manfully, unfolded the
story of his love ; and her shy, maidenly

responses were— though there was not a
grain of artfulness in them—'delightfully

designed both to lure him on and to keep
him back. The story, indeed, took so long

in telling that Fairbrass had become quite
an accomplished horseman by the day on

which the young man took his sister in his
strong, protecting arms, kissed her, and

called her his darling.
As luck would have it, this took place
under the very shadow of the twin sister

Foplar-trees, and so horrified were they

that, although there was a strong breeze
blowing, they kept themselves erect and
silent with their leaves standing right up

on end for very shame.