Her Faithful Knight — page 335: what you’re looking at

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

Darcy Finds His Wife. 331 off in a waking dream, picturing what might have hap- pened had she done what her heart prompted on that midsummer day of the preceding year, when in her cab she had been driven past Aylmer Read on her way to Charing Cross station and the start of the “Love’s Right” Company. “T believe I loved him then,” she said to herself, “‘al- though I would not let myself think so. And if I had only stopped my cab and held out my hand to him, all might have been so different. I might have been his wife at this moment instead of 53 : the whole truth. So help me God!” Some one was being sworn—a witness hitherto un- heard. With a start Dorothy raised her head and saw the tall, broad-shouldered figure of her faithful knight, Aylmer Read, to whom the oath was being administered. Briefly, but with absolute clearness and directness, he answered the questions put to him as to his meeting with the accused in Villiers street on the Friday afternoon of the week before last, and as to taking her home in a cab to his relations. Questioned as to why he had done this: “The accused lady is an old friend,” he said boldly, “and I knew her to be innocent of the charge.” Dorothy was watching and listening to him with a beating heart. Her eyes were intently fixed on his face, so that she did not hear the slight commotion which occurred as a gentleman entered the court and took his place at the solicitors’ table. But before Aylmer could frame a reply to the next inquiry put to him, Darcy Der- rick sprang up from his seat, pale as death, muttering something under his breath, with dilated eyes fixed upon Dorothy’s face. The recognition had come! Dorothy knew it, and lowered her head over her hands CoOmicoookkS.c©