The Strange Proposal Read Online Free PDF

heart and have it broken. He’s a constant old fellow, and he doesn’t care much for women, doesn’t have much opinion of the modern ones, and wouldn’t understand it. It might go hard with him.”
    “But she seemed so sweet and genuine,” protested Camilla, perplexed.
    “Yes, she is,” said Jeff, “but she’s always had her own way. Her father spoiled her, and her mother spoiled her, and then when her mother died and she inherited all that money besides what her father will leave her someday, she did more and more what she wanted to. Oh, I’ll admit she usually wanted to do nice things. She wasn’t bold and arrogant like the modern girl. She had ideals of her own, and she stuck to them. And that’s remarkable, too, since she’s traveled the world over a lot and had plenty of chances to go modern. She’s kept her smile and her natural face and hasn’t taken on rowdy airs and habits. She’s a great sport, and I admire her a lot. But she does let a lot of men trail after her, and just smiles and plays with them awhile and then lets them go. They are just a lot of toys to her it seems. And I’d hate to have John Saxon treated that way. He’s too genuine to be played with. And I’m not sure whether she could understand a man like John. I guess it’s a good thing that they’re not likely ever to meet again. I wouldn’t have John hurt for the world.”
    “He looks to me as if he could take care of himself,” said Camilla.
    And then they turned to the right and swept down into the heart of the little city and drove to their hotel, forgetting all about John Saxon and his affairs.
    Back in the hotel where Camilla’s mother and Miss York were preparing for rest, Miss York was saying, “What kind of a girl is that Miss Wainwright, who took the place of maid of honor tonight?”
    “Why, I think she’s very sweet,” said Camilla’s mother. “It was so nice of her at the last minute that way to be willing to fill in, not having a regular dress or anything!”
    “She had a stunning dress!” said Miss York. “And she certainly was agreeable. Of course, most girls love a thing like that, and she certainly did the part well.”
    “A great deal better than Helen Foster would have done,” said Camilla’s mother. “Poor Helen isn’t very pretty and never has known how to dress, but she’s a lovely girl and Camilla was very fond of her. But Miss Wainwright was sweet. I liked her very much. She seemed a good deal like Jeffrey, didn’t you think? The same blue eyes and clear complexion with dark hair. He’s always been very fond of her. She seems almost as if she might have been a sister.”
    “Yes,” said Miss York reluctantly, “if she’s like him in spirit she couldn’t be improved upon. I was just wondering whether a girl
could
be as beautiful, and as rich as they say she is, and not be spoiled.”
    “Jeffery wasn’t spoiled,” said Jeffrey’s new mother-in-law.
    “Jeffrey is unusual,” owned Miss York. “You know he’s unusual. You said so yourself!”
    “Well, couldn’t his cousin be unusual, too?”
    “She
could
,” said the nurse. “I was wondering whether she is. I’ve been watching her all the evening. That friend of Jeffrey’s is a very fine young man.”
    “Yes, he is,” agreed the mother. “He is very wonderful! Camilla has been telling me about him.”
    “That’s it,” said Miss York, brushing out her long, old-fashioned hair that still had a pleasant natural wave in spite of the threads of silver here and there. “That’s just what I mean. He’s fine. He’s rare! And is that girl good enough for him? I watched them all the evening, and sometimes I thought she was, and sometimes I wasn’t sure.”
    “Well,” said Camilla’s mother, smiling, “isn’t it good that we don’t have to settle that? I suppose our heavenly Father can look out for those two as well as He has looked out for my child. My, how strange it is to think that Camilla is married! And how glad