A perfect summer night, not a breath stirring.'
Mr. Mohun consented, and Lily almost hurried Alethea upstairs, to put
on her bonnet and shawl. When she came down she found that the
walking party had increased. Jane and Reginald would both have been
in despair to have missed such a frolic; Maurice hoped to fall in
with the droning beetle, or to lay violent hands on a glow-worm;
Emily did not like to be left behind, and even Mr. Mohun was going,
being in the midst of an interesting conversation with Mr. Weston.
Lily, with an absurd tragic gesture, told Alethea that amongst so
many, such a crowd, all the grace and sweet influence of the walk was
ruined. The 'sweet influence' was ruined as far as Lily was
concerned, but not by the number of her companions. It was the
uneasy feeling caused by her over-strained spirits and foolish
chattering that prevented her from really entering into the charm of
the soft air, the clear moon, the solemn deep blue sky, the few
stars, the white lilies on the dark pond, the long shadows of the
trees, the freshness of the dewy fields. Her simplicity, and her
genuine delight in the loveliness of the scene, was gone for the
time, and though she spoke much of her enjoyment, it was in a high-
flown affected style.
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