Killed at Sedan Author:Samuel Richardson 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. pEORGE CLAYTON heard a great deal of the above conversation. He advanced towards the partly closed gate, and, opening it wider in order to let Lu... more »cie pass the more easily through, he followed, shutting the wooden gate behind him. He looked darkly at the Colonel, and made a military salute. He never deigned one inquiring glance at Miss Le Breton, and this casual circumstance nettled her. But why should it nettle her ? He turned sharply on his heel, and was proceeding homeward, when she asked the Colonel to call him back. Then George faced round again, advanced haughtily towards them, and Margaret Le Breton felt at once the influence of his presence. She grew pale. While the Colonel was talking to him, as an excuse for recalling him in order to have this interview, about some matter of business connected with the routine of the barracks, she seized the opportunity of examining him coolly, if not impertinently. George Clayton knew perfectly well that she was studying him from head to foot; but no muscle moved, no feature in his countenance betrayed unusual emotion. Amongst the other things which experience gifted him with, was the power of hiding his emotions. Outwardly, at least, he was not disturbed, bearing thus with the affront of her unwomanly scrutiny. He was aware who this handsome, scornful-faced lady was ; long before the Colonel or Lucie made her acquaintance he had known her. But she was a gushing girl when he last stood near her thus. She was not eighteen when he spoke to her eleven years ago; then she was a slight and a beautiful roseate angel; now she was past eight-and-twenty, not quite so slight— that did not take from her, however, since she looked the better for not being slight—such was the thought that flashed through George's brain; and alas, al...« less