I Forbid the Banns! — page 286: what you’re looking at

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

276 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” was doubly mad. He was insanely jealous of two men, and he was wroth with the woman whom he loved as he had never loved any human being. He had been wroth with her, and now she had left him. He was standing alone in the great room, staring at the space in the heavy portiére through which she had passed. The broken line of the drapery seemed to him to retain something of the figure that had passed through the space into the dimness beyond. Would he ever see that figure again? It was exquisite, but it had passed from him forever. He turned away from the fireplace and threw himself down on the sofa where she had rested. He began to wonder how it was that he had never had a suspicion of jealousy of her so long as they had been to- gether aboard the steamer! He had daily seen her sitting beside, and talking with, men who were certainly as fascinat- ing as the cattle driver, and much more fascinating than the cabinet minister. (To that distorted vision of the jealous man the figure of Eric Vicars was actually more imposing than the figure of Sir Ecroyd Fairleigh.) How was it that he had then felt absolutely secure of her love, whereas now he could not see her beside a man without being in agony ? The problem was too much for him, He buried his face in his hands, overcome with that dread feeling of loneliness which was the result of all his thoughts. Hewas alone. All his thoughts led him into the overwhelming darkness of that sensation. Was it a fancy due to his mood, that a hand was resting on his shoulder? With his face still bent down to one hand, he put the other up to his shoulder. It touched a soft hand wearing a ring. “Julian, dear Julian, I am so sorry. I should have remembered that you do not wish that man’s name men- tioned. I will not doso again. Forgive me, dearest, and let this little cloud float away forever.”’ Gomichookssco