A few pleasant acquaintances, no intimates, music, books, and a large
share of her time given to charitable work, composed the life of Joy
Irving.
She had never been in a fashionable assemblage; she had never
attended a theatre, as Mr Irving did not approve of them.
Extremely fond of outdoor life, she walked, unattended, wherever her
mood led her. As she had no acquaintances among society people, she
knew nothing and cared less for the rules which govern the
promenading habits of young women in New York. Her sweet face and
graceful figure were well known among the poorer quarters of the
city, and it was through her work in such places that Arthur Stuart's
attention had first been called to her.
As for him, he was filled with that high, but not always wise,
disdain for society and its customs, which we so often find in town-
bred young men of intellectual pursuits. He was clean-minded,
independent, sure of his own purposes, and wholly indifferent to the
opinions of inferiors regarding his habits.
He loved the park, and he asked Joy to walk with him there, as freely
as he would have asked her to sit with him in a conservatory. It was
a great delight to the young girl to go.
"It seems such a pity that the women of New York get so little
benefit from this beautiful park," she said as they strolled along
through the winding paths together.
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