Her Faithful Knight — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

A Ruined Life. 63 That dreadful feeling of being disgraced and deserted be- fore the eyes of the whole company ate into my heart when I thought of the women’s unfriendly curiosity and coarse jesting. I was so shabby, too, that even for that alone I could not bear to face any one of them. So I hung around the river path outside the theatre, and watched the moonlight upon the water until I had to tear. myself shuddering away. For—perhaps it was that I had not had any food for a long time, and was growing light- headed—but that silver flickering pathway seemed to draw my feet to it as a magnet. “*At the best,’ a voice seemed to whisper in my ear, ‘the man you loved, the man who has been your husband, is a scoundrel, and is tired of you. Has he not told you so? And if it be true that he was already married when you first met him, you will never be able to hold up your head again. What should be the crowning glory of a woman’s life will be to you a misery and a reproach, a nameless child, whose very existence must be explained away from the prying, disdainful eyes of the world. Even your sister, if she knew all, would find it in her heart to say that you were better dead.’ “Under that bright pathway was forgetfulness and peace. For the third time my footsteps turned in the di- rection of the river, when, just as I stood on the brink, a hand clutched my arm, and a voice I knew spoke in my ear. “As I started and turned, Leila Mongomery, for it was she, uttered an exclamation of surprise as she caught sight of my face. ““Miss Knight—Mrs. Trevelyan! How did you get here? Howill youlook! Is Sergius with you?” “T wanted to hurry away, but she insisted on following me, and was exceedingly kind in her rough way. She informed me that Sergius had quitted the company unex- Conniclooo S (€@)