A Gentleman from Gascony: A Romance of the Huguenots — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

MADAME LA DUCHESSE DE BASSOMPIERRE. f41 Raoul, guided by the sound of her voice, had thrown himself before her. “Madame, madame, do not call!” he implored. “In the name of that charity which is the blessed preroga- tive of your sex, do not call.” The duchess paused, hesitated a moment, and there was no tremor in her voice as she demanded haughtily: “Who are you that under cover of the night enters thus like a thief into my chamber? Who are you?” “One most unfortunate,”’ was the sorrowful answer. The uproar in the street was increasing, and Raoul realized that if his ascent of the balcony had been per- ceived, there was no time to be lost. “Gracious lady,” he proceeded, hurriedly, “for the very accent of your voice proclaims your rank, my life is in your hands.”’ “Your life!” “Yes. I found myself involved, by no fault of my own, in a tavern brawl, and by accident rather than design, I——” He hesitated. Even at such a moment the brutal words were hard to speak, especially to a woman. “Well, sir?’ “T killed my adversary.” “ Killed!” And involuntarily the duchess retreated a step, an action which was not lost upon the over-wrought chevalier. “ Ah, madame,” he exclaimed with passionate inten- sity, “let me appeal to all that is womanly in you. It was in defence of one of your own sex, a wanderer, it is true, a Bohemian, poor and defenceless—defenceless but for me. I rescued her from insult, from worse than insult, and—and—I have told the rest.” ; Comichoo S (<(@) im =