Page:Saxe Holm's Stories, Series Two.djvu/357

Rh did not know the world; to which Susan always retorted that she hoped she never should know it, and there matters rested, in no wise altered by the discussions, except that Susan was somewhat hurt by them, inasmuch as each one inevitably took away a little of her fresh innocence and inability to comprehend evil. Mrs. Lawton loved Susan better than she loved any one else in the world, and the purpose had been growing stronger and stronger for weeks to take Susan away from home and break up her intimacy with Edward Balloure. The purpose coincided also with her own wishes, for the great air-castle of her life had been to spend some years in Europe. The one short and hurried trip she had taken there with her husband, soon after their marriage, had been merely sufficient to make her long to go again. She had often spoken of this to Susan, so there seemed nothing abrupt or unreasonable when on the present morning, as they sat together in the library, discussing plans for the winter, she suddenly said:—

"Susan, we 'll go abroad."

Susan sprang to her feet, her face flushed with pleasure.

"You don't mean it, Bell?"

"But I do!" said Mrs. Lawton; "I 've been meaning it all along."

"You blessed creature!" cried Susan. "I 've been dying to go ever since I could recollect. I have had it on my tongue's end five hundred times