"If there isn't room for us here, we can board at Abbie's; it would be
very pleasant, wouldn't it?" said Sophie; but Bressant made no
rejoinder.
Professor Valeyon was getting on well beneath the weight of his
prospective loss. He indulged in as many comforting reflections as he
could. Cornelia would still be with him, and he loved her as much in one
way as Sophie in another. He seemed to think, too, that the bride and
groom would probably settle somewhere in the neighborhood. Again, he
felt a greater natural affection for Bressant than for any other young
man; what son-in-law, after all, would he have preferred to have? And
there may have been additional considerations equally pleasant in the
contemplation.
Sophie was in her element; the loveliness and richness of her character
came out like a sweet, sustaining perfume. In love, all her faculties
found their fullest exercise. There was no doubt nor darkness in her
soul. Without looking upon her lover as an angel, she saw in him the
grand possibilities which human nature still possesses, and felt that
she might aid them somewhat to develop and flourish.
As for Bressant, originally the least inclined of any of the circle to
be pensive and sombre, he now seemed occasionally to contend with
shadows of some kind.
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