Her powers of expression seemed to deepen and develop every day , growing as her soul grew , taking on new colour and richness from her ripening heart . To Eric , the days were all pages in an inspired idyl . He had never dreamed that love could be so mighty or the world so beautiful . He wondered if the universe were big enough to hold his joy or eternity long enough to live it out . His whole existence was , for the time being , bounded by that orchard where he wooed his sweetheart . All other ambitions and plans and hopes were set aside in the pursuit of this one aim , the attainment of which would enhance all others a thousand-fold , the loss of which would rob all others of their reason for existence . His own world seemed very far away and the things of that world forgotten . His father , on hearing that he had taken the Lindsay school for a year , had written him a testy , amazed letter , asking him if he were demented . `` Or is there a girl in the case ? '' he wrote . `` There must be , to tie you down to a place like Lindsay for a year . Take care , master Eric ; you 've been too sensible all your life . A man is bound to make a fool of himself at least once , and when you did n't get through with that in your teens it may be attacking you now . '' David also wrote , expostulating more gravely ; but he did not express the suspicions Eric knew he must entertain . `` Good old David ! He is quaking with fear that I am up to something he ca n't approve of , but he wo n't say a word by way of attempting to force my confidence . '' It could not long remain a secret in Lindsay that `` the Master '' was going to the Gordon place on courting thoughts intent . Mrs. Williamson kept her own and Eric 's counsel ; the Gordons said nothing ; but the secret leaked out and great was the surprise and gossip and wonder . One or two incautious people ventured to express their opinion of the Master 's wisdom to the Master himself ; but they never repeated the experiment . Curiosity was rife .
A hundred stories were circulated about Kilmeny , all greatly exaggerated XXXXX the circulation .
Gordon Gordons To at by for if in of that