Her eyes opened, and in them his own eager eyes read FEAR. ... He was
startled, hurt. Being only a boy, with a boy's understanding and a
boy's pride, he was piqued, and himself drew back. This was not what
he had expected, not what the romances he had read had led him to
believe would take place. In stories the bride was timid, yet eager;
loving, yielding, happy. She clung to her husband, her heart beating
against his heart, whispering her adoration and demanding whispered
adoration from him. ... Here all of this was lacking, and something
which crouched at the opposite pole of human emotion was present--
FEAR.
"You must be patient and gentle with her," Malcolm Lightener had said
with understanding, and Bonbright was wise enough to know that there
spoke experience; probably there spoke truth, not romance, as it is
set down on the printed page. Even if Ruth's attitude were unusual,
so the circumstances were unusual. It was no ordinary marriage
preceded by an ordinary, joyous courtship.
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