Gideon, with a great effort of manly candour.

'It was abominable conduct!' said Julia, with energy.



'I know it must have shaken your esteem,' said the barrister.

'But, dearest Miss Hazeltine, I beg of you to hear me out; my



behaviour, strange as it may seem, is not unsusceptible of

explanation; and I positively cannot and will not consent to



continue to try to exist without--without the esteem of one whom

I admire--the moment is ill chosen, I am well aware of that; but



I repeat the expression--one whom I admire.'

A touch of amusement appeared on Miss Hazeltine's face. 'Very



well, I said she, 'come out of this dreadfully cold place, and

let us sit down on deck.' The barrister dolefully followed her.



'Now,' said she, making herself comfortable against the end of

the house, 'go on. I will hear you out.' And then, seeing him



stand before her with so much obvious disrelish to the task, she

was suddenly overcome with laughter. Julia's laugh was a thing to



ravish lovers; she rolled her mirthful descant with the freedom

and the melody of a blackbird's song upon the river, and repeated



by the echoes of the farther bank. It seemed a thing in its own

place and a sound native to the open air. There was only one



creature who heard it without joy, and that was her unfortunate

admirer.



'Miss Hazeltine,' he said, in a voice that tottered with

annoyance, 'I speak as your sincere well-wisher, but this can



only be called levity.'

Julia made great eyes at him.



'I can't withdraw the word,' he said: 'already the freedom with

which I heard you hobnobbing with a boatman gave me exquisite



pain. Then there was a want of reserve about Jimson--'

'But Jimson appears to be yourself,' objected Julia.



'I am far from denying that,' cried the barrister, 'but you did

not know it at the time. What could Jimson be to you? Who was



Jimson? Miss Hazeltine, it cut me to the heart.'

'Really this seems to me to be very silly,' returned Julia, with



severe decision. 'You have behaved in the most extraordinary

manner; you pretend you are able to explain your conduct, and



instead of doing so you begin to attack me.'

'I am well aware of that,' replied Gideon. 'I--I will make a



clean breast of it. When you know all the circumstances you will

be able to excuse me.



And sitting down beside her on the deck, he poured forth his

miserable history.



'O, Mr Forsyth,' she cried, when he had done, 'I am--so--sorry!

wish I hadn't laughed at you--only you know you really were so



exceedingly funny. But I wish I hadn't, and I wouldn't either if

I had only known.' And she gave him her hand.



Gideon kept it in his own. 'You do not think the worse of me for

this?' he asked tenderly.



'Because you have been so silly and got into such dreadful

trouble? you poor boy, no!' cried Julia; and, in the warmth of



the moment, reached him her other hand; 'you may count on me,'

she added.



'Really?' said Gideon.

'Really and really!' replied the girl.



'I do then, and I will,' cried the young man. 'I admit the moment

is not well chosen; but I have no friends--to speak of.'



'No more have I,' said Julia. 'But don't you think it's perhaps

time you gave me back my hands?'



'La ci darem la mano,' said the barrister, 'the merest moment

more! I have so few friends,' he added.



'I thought it was considered such a bad account of a young man to

have no friends,' observed Julia.



'O, but I have crowds of FRIENDS!' cried Gideon. 'That's not what

I mean. I feel the moment is ill chosen; but O, Julia, if you



could only see yourself!'

'Mr Forsyth--'



'Don't call me by that beastly name!' cried the youth. 'Call me

Gideon!'



'O, never that,' from Julia. 'Besides, we have known each other

such a short time.'



'Not at all!' protested Gideon. 'We met at Bournemouth ever so

long ago. I never forgot you since. Say you never forgot me. Say



you never forgot me, and call me Gideon!'

'Isn't this rather--a want of reserve about Jimson?' enquired the



girl.

'O, I know I am an ass,' cried the barrister, 'and I don't care a

• landlord [´lændlɔ:d] n.地主；房东；店主 (初中英语单词)


• conceive [kən´si:v] v.设想；表达；怀孕 (初中英语单词)


• sketch [sketʃ] n.素描；短剧 v.草拟 (初中英语单词)


• promising [´prɔmisiŋ] a.有希望的；有为的 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• gratitude [´grætitju:d] n.感激，感谢 (初中英语单词)


• bitterly [´bitəli] ad.悲痛地；憎恨地 (初中英语单词)


• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• refuge [´refju:dʒ] v.&n.避难(所)；庇护 (初中英语单词)


• resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)


• circuit [´sə:kit] n.环行 v.(绕….)环行 (初中英语单词)


• residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)


• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)


• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)


• literary [´litərəri] a.文学(上)的 (初中英语单词)


• terribly [´terəbli] ad.可怕地 (初中英语单词)


• underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)


• contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


• pursuit [pə´sju:t] n.追踪；追击；事务 (初中英语单词)


• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)


• gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)


• shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• amusement [ə´mju:zmənt] n.娱乐；文娱设施 (初中英语单词)


• dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)


• obvious [´ɔbviəs] a.明显的；显而易见的 (初中英语单词)


• overcome [,əuvə´kʌm] vt.战胜，克服 (初中英语单词)


• sincere [sin´siə] a.真挚的；直率的 (初中英语单词)


• withdraw [wið´drɔ:] v.收回；撤销；撤退 (初中英语单词)


• pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)


• warmth [wɔ:mθ] n.温暖；热情；激动 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• delicacy [´delikəsi] n.精美；娇弱，微妙 (高中英语单词)


• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)


• profitable [´prɔfitəbəl] a.有益的；有用的 (高中英语单词)


• manhood [´mænhud] n.人格；男子气概 (高中英语单词)


• launch [lɔ:ntʃ] vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇 (高中英语单词)


• invasion [in´veiʒən] n.入侵；侵害；侵犯 (高中英语单词)


• exceedingly [ik´si:diŋli] ad.非常地，极度地 (高中英语单词)


• bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)


• access [´ækses] n.接近；通路；进入 (高中英语单词)


• positively [´pɔzətivli] ad.确实；断然；绝对 (高中英语单词)


• esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• melody [´melədi] n.悦耳的音调；乐曲 (高中英语单词)


• gallows [´gæləuz] n.绞刑架 (英语四级单词)


• odious [´əudiəs] a.可憎的；丑恶的 (英语四级单词)


• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)


• withdrawn [wið´drɔ:n] withdraw过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• privacy [´praivəsi, -pri] n.隐退；独处；秘密 (英语四级单词)


• explosive [ik´spləusiv] a.易爆炸的 n.炸药 (英语四级单词)


• sneeze [sni:z] n.&vi.(打)喷嚏(声) (英语四级单词)


• sufferer [´sʌfərə] n.受苦的人；患者 (英语四级单词)


• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)


• superficial [,su:pə´fiʃəl, ,sju:-] a.表面的，肤浅的 (英语四级单词)


• abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)


• boatman [´bəutmən] n.船夫；出租游艇者 (英语四级单词)


• indescribable [,indis´kraibəbəl] a.难以形容的 (英语六级单词)


• thames [temz] n.泰晤士河 (英语六级单词)


• downstream [,daun´stri:m] a.&ad.下流的，顺流的 (英语六级单词)


• good-looking [] a.漂亮的，美貌的 (英语六级单词)


• beastly [´bi:stli] a.残忍的；卑鄙的 (英语六级单词)