Gratia's Trials — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

\ : GRATIA’S TRIALS. 123 ‘Has the journey you took during my absence in Boston anything to do with this sudden resolution ?” She felt the rush of white pallor following scarlet blood suf- fusing her face as he looked steadily at her, and answered des- perately : ‘¢ Ves, sir, it has.” ‘“'Then,” he said, ‘‘ Alberta was right, afterall, and you have been using my love and trust only as a cloak to conceal your devotion to some other lover.” ‘*It is false!” said Gratia, energetically. ‘‘No man was ever encouraged to speak to me of love save yourself.” ‘*T believe you, Gratia,” he said, relenting. ‘‘I think no one could tell a falsehood with so good and pure a face as yours. But you have not yet given me a Satisfactory reason for so ab- ruptly rejecting my addresses.” ‘* Because I do not love you, sir, as a wife should love her husband.” ‘¢ Aj] that will come in time, my darling,” he said, reassur- ingly. ‘‘ Only trust yourself-implicitly to me.” ‘¢T dare not risk it,” she murmured. He took her ehand, and gently compelled her to reseat herself. ‘‘T have too much at stake to allow yau to leave me so, | Gratia,” he said. ‘* Now, let us discuss this matter calmly and dispassionately. While this singular interview, so freighted: with vital im- portance to both actors, was transpiring in the library, a more stormy session still was bejng held in the central drawing-room below stairs. | Robert Falconer had not dined with them, but as his habits were not specially regular, that fact had elicited no particular notice. At about: ten o'clock he let himself in at the front door with a latch-key, and came slowly and heavily into his mother’s presence. Mrs. Falconer looked keenly into his face, GComichooks (E(0)