Read "Anthony Adverse" by Hervey Allen online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
-"Water-lilies are fragrant," thought Anthony, as he sat alone in the big room next morning going over his accumulated mail. One bud he noticed in particular that had hung drooping on its stem only the day before had now revived and was beginning to open. The flesh-like pink-and-white of its petals was beginning to show. He renewed the water in the bowl, covering the roots completely, and turned to his letters again.
Most of them were current bills or tradesmen's announcements, remittances and statements from London. There was an ill-spelled note from Dolly at Bath, stumbling over a few sentences of awkward thanks--she was evidently quite happy--and, "He thinks I had better not write you any more." Again he was glad it could end this way. He lit his cigar with the note and watched the childish writing crisp into nothing.