Her Faithful Knight — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

A Story of London. 49 “It was about you. Of course, I wanted to write and tell you that Sergius and I were engaged, for, although he had not said in so many words, Will you marry me? he had declared he could no longer live without me, and I thought that was the same thing. “As we reached the stage door, I turned to him. “*T must write to Dorothy to-night,’ I said, ‘and tell her. I have said very little about you in my letters as yet, but I will make up for that to-night.’ “T could see his face change. “*Don’t write until we have another talk,’ he said, and that night when he saw me home he begged to be al- lowed to come in, and, as he said, explain things, and erew vexed and reproachful because I said it was too late for visitors, and insisted on parting from him at the door. “T was happy that night, thinking of Sergius and his love, but I could not bear the idea of keeping anything from you. At one moment I thrilled all over with a warm delight as I recalled his tender caresses and pas- sionate words, and the next my heart grew chilled with uneasiness as I remembered his admonition against writ- ing to you until he had explained. Explained! What was there, what could there be to explain? Even if he was badly off and not in a position to marry yet, I would gladly wait for him. There seemed to be a discrepancy between the impetuosity of his love avowal and his wish to ‘explain things’ before I wrote to you. “Next day he came early, before, indeed, I had had my breakfast. If anything, he was more impassioned than ever. He covered my hands and face with kisses and swore that I was his ideal—the woman he had all his life waited for—and should be his guardian angel. I was so glad to find he had forgiven my refusal to admit him on the preceding evening that at first I almost forgot Eomichboo (S@) SS