The Craze of Christina — page 185: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Craze of Christina. 181 But Clifford was deaf to his feeble endeavors; he had fallen to clenching his fists, and cursing in an unknown tongue; his face was flushed, his eyes rolled wildly. It was little wonder that Monsieur Chabot took him for a madman. ‘Il y a une lettre pour vous, m’sieur,’’ he managed at last to get out. ‘‘Vous etés Mon- sieur Cleefforde, n’est ce pas?’”’ Clifford grabbed at the letter. It was, of course, he supposed, the same thing over again —more excuses, yet another journey, and a further delay! No; he would not follow her any more, he would believe in her no longer! He would not even read her letter! There was more than accident in all this—it was done on purpose, a plot, a scheme to ruin him. Great heavens! all at once a terrible thought rushed into his mind! Could it be possible that she was not what she seemed to be at all, but a female detective paid by his enemies, those horrible people in Australia, to lead him astray and cozen away half his fortune? The idea struck him like a thunderclap, his — brain throbbed, his eyes grew blind and dim; searce knowing what he did he tore the un- opened letter in scraps, and cast them violently down and then stamped on them with all his might and main. GComichbooksnco