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John sine that my father was as well"

She blushed

"Do you think we could start over for the afternoon?" John asked, taking her hand and dropping a feathery light kiss on her knuckles "I apologize for assuled "That's the y I have ever heard"

"Do you think so? I thought it was rather eloquent myself, especially with the kiss on your hand"

"The kiss was y was very sweet It was the part about the dishrag that sounded funny"

"Forget about the dishrag," John said, leading her over to a nearby sofa

"My mind is already completely blank on that measure," she assured him

He sat down at the opposite end of the sofa "I noticed that you have a volume of Wordsworth's poetry with you"

Belle looked down at her forgotten book "Oh, yes You inspiredto get to the task of writing some verse yourself I know that you'd be brilliant at it"

John smiled at her praise "Look what happened when I tried to be poetic this afternoon I called you 'misty-like' Soreat poetry"

"Don't be silly Anyone who loves poetry as much as you do must be able to write it You need only to apply yourself"

John looked over at her shining face She had such confidence in hi was new to him; his family, after all, had never shown very much interest in any of his activities He couldn't bear to tell her that her confidence was ht react when she discovered what kind of man he really was

But he didn't want to think of this All he wanted to think about was the woti he could push the realities of his past from his ift himself with an entire afternoon of her co into his tortured thoughts, "I forgot to ring for tea" She stood and crossed the rooBefore Belle even had a chance to sit down again, Norwood entered the room on swift, silent feet She ordered some tea and biscuits, and Norwood left just as quietly as he had co the door behind him

Belle's eyes followed the butler as he exited the room, and then she turned back and looked over to where John was standing near the sofa As she gazed at him fro He looked so handso clothes, and she couldn't help but see the appreciation in his eyes as he gazed back at her She remembered his words from the day before