This especially was what he most wanted, for shrewd schemer that he was, he knew that if he could ingratiate himself with this guardian aunt, permission to call must follow, and with that, some opportunity to make a conquest of this simple country girl.
Sated as he was with the society of more polished and therefore artificial womanhood, _blasé_ to all the purities of life and refined society, a roué and rake conversant with all vice, this fearless, wholesome, yet unsophisticated girl who seemed like a breath from the pine woods, attracted him as no other could.
And now he had her almost spellbound on this lonely shore, with the sea murmuring at their feet and the cool winds whispering in the pine trees shading them.
It was Don Juan and Haidee over again, only this Juan was a more selfish and heartless one, calculating on the ruin of this wood-born flower without thought of consequences.
He made one mistake, however, after he had lulled her into almost believing him to be both honest and worthy,--he sneered at religion.
"All that people go to church for is to see and be seen, ladies especially," he said. "They live to dress and show off their new gowns and hats, and were it not for the chance church-going gives them, not one parson in a hundred would have a corporal's guard for audience. As for the preaching, not one in ten understands a word of it, and most of those who understand fail to believe it. I don't, I am sure. I consider a minister is a man who talks to earn his money. A few old tabbies, of course, are sincere and believe in prayer and all that sort of foolishness, but the rest only make believe they do. There may be a God and maybe there isn't--I don't know. I doubt it, however. As for the hereafter, that is all moonshine. When we go, that is the end of us."
"And so you don't believe in spirits and a future life," answered Chip, with sudden defiance. "Well, I do, and I know that people have souls that live again, for I've seen them, hundreds of times. As for all church-going people being hypocrites, that's a lie, and I know better. The best woman I ever knew believed in praying, and so did my mother, and I won't hear them called such a name."
It was Chip, blazing up again, in defence of her own opinions, and this smooth-spoken fellow saw his mistake on the instant.