A Heart's Bitterness — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

A HEART’S BITTERNESS. EU Oe ‘« At least, you cannot make me leave my room, and I warn you I will stay there.” % ‘T'hey looked furiously at each other. Violet turned.and ran up to her boudoir, where she locked herself in, and flung herself on a sofa, and began to cry piteously. Leigh dashed out of the library window, and betook himself to the woods, in a heat of rage, muttering bitter words. ‘‘It was just seven weeks since these two had stood before God’s altar, with vows to love, honor, cherish, obey. The tempest of her tears passed away; Violet began to re- view her conduct; she reproached herself for her methods, but believed she was right in principle. Iustinctively, she ~ felt that all these invitations were a cover to that to Miss Ambrose, and that Leigh asked Miss Ambrose because he loved her, preferred her to his wife. JRashly, perhaps not unnaturally, Violet believed that Miss Ambrose shared this love, and favored his intercourse. In such a case, the in- vitation was a.cruel insult to herself, and the jealous, love- craving child—spoiled, perhaps, by a life-long observance of her lightest wish—felt all the bitterest grief and indigna- tion of a wronged wife. Never, never, never, would she haye anything to do with this fatal Miss Ambrose! . | But, in method, oh, how wrong she had been! Meanwhile, Leigh, in the excess of his rage at Violet’s defiance, tore blindly through the wood, yet, by some in- stinct, took paths that led him from his park to a little hazel coppice, through which rippled a silver stream—a quiet nook belonging to Miss Whateley’s small property, and lying just outside her humble rose garden. Ss: His heart had not misled him. Through the opening in the coppice lay exposed a sweep of the Sussex Wealdon, wide and bare, yet glowing in the tints of summer, and — under the trees sat Edna, a block of paper on her knee, her color-box lying by her side, making a sketch of that fair perspective. Leigh, hot and breathless, dashed through the green shelter, and, flinging himself on the turf near her feet, hid his face against the folds of her soft draperies, and cried, passionately: «‘Kdna, Edna, why did I leave you?” She started with a troubled look, but, dropping her brush, laid her gentle hand on his head, saying: é Gomicbooks (ee)