He tried to make a place for Reverdy and me; but the Governor had filled
all the seats with his friends: so we stood as spectators, while the new
wonder moved on its way, pulled by the queer locomotive, amid the shouts
of the crowd, responded to by the calls of those on board.
Going back to Jacksonville I ventured to talk to Reverdy about Dorothy.
He knew well enough what my feeling was for her. He knew the story; he
knew her attitude. He did not share in her fears, in her feeling about
Zoe. He was frank to say that Zoe could do nothing, could be nothing
that need affect my life in any way more serious than if her skin was
white. But he explained that Dorothy had the southern view; and if I
wished to wait and see if she could work herself out of doubts, well and
good; and if I could not further hope he could understand that too. I
wanted to write to Dorothy to tell her that Zoe was still away and that
I thought she would never return. But perhaps after all Dorothy's
attitude was founded in an innate prejudice against the relationship to
which she would make herself a party by marrying me. Was this not
perfectly unreasonable? It made me distrust Dorothy's nature at times.
What was she after all? Finally, however, I wrote to Dorothy as best I
could and after many ineffectual trials at expressing myself.
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