Thus the very letter which they would have compassed land and sea to
have prevented coming under his eyes, unwisely yet most fortunately kept
in existence, was sent by themselves to his hands.
Without pausing to read a line of that which his aunt had written him,
he tore it into fragments, flung it into the empty grate; and, bounding
down the stairs and on to the street, plunged into a carriage and was
whirled away, all too slowly, to the home he had left but a little space
before with such widely, such painfully different emotions.
CHAPTER XIII
"_I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more._"
LOVELACE
Just after Surrey, for the third time, had passed through the avenue of
trees, two men appeared in it, earnestly conversing. One, the older, was
the same who had met Willie as he was going out, and had examined him
with such curious interest. The other, in feature, form, and bearing,
was so absolutely the counterpart of his companion that it was easy to
recognize in them father and son,--a father and son whom it would be
hard to match. "The finest type of the Anglo-Saxon race I have seen from
America," was the verdict pronounced upon Mr. Ercildoune, when he was a
young man studying abroad, by an enthusiastic and nationally ignorant
Englishman; "but then, sir," he added, "what very dark complexions you
Americans have! Is it universal?"
"By no means, sir," was Mr.
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