Doctor Ben; An Episode in the Life of a Fortunate Unfortunate

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. DIES HORRENDUS. THAT very night the elders were taken into Ben's and Betty's confidence; and before another sunset, the terms of a life-long alliance were settled. But there were beatings of heart in some other quarters. Poor Rosie Montrose ! Her widow's weeds seemed to be blacker than ever. Poor Mary Armstrong ! Poor Joe Craughton ! Poor Cleve Maitland ! Poor ? all the rest of the disappointed ones ! There is but one of all that company of aspirants who needs particular mention here. He was the instrument of so much evil, ? and of some good too, as it happened, ? that a bit of his history must here be given, and more hereafter. Thomas Macrae was a young law- student of brilliant parts, with something of a fortune, thoroughly well-educated, of polished manners, a genial companion, and withal Ben's most intimate friend. But he had been utterly blind to the possibility of such an event as Betty Hartley's becoming Mrs. Hollins, ? blind with that cupidic cataract which is no uncommon disease. He had been patiently waiting for his own time to say the one sweet thing to Betty, and dreamed and thought of her answer as an ultimate yes. He could feel, and see, that the day had notyet come; but he would wait. A chance word here and there, a misinterpreted look, an exaggerated expression, gave him courage, just so surely as Betty's coldness daunted him. For a whole year and more he had kept up this quiet pursuit of his one great object. And now that object was gone ! But this was no boy, ? no simpleton, no weeping, sentimental youth. He shouldered his load of vexation like a man, and tried to live it down. Ben and Betty now settled into a quiet, orderly course of loving and waiting, ? waiting for the lapse of a year, which had been agreed upon by all concer...