Lady Evelyn — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

“A Marriage of Convenience.” 830 his daughter sweep majestically away, and saw in the face of Vivian Trevannance that he had been rejected. Rejected! He had never dreamed of that. Men bowed to his every wish; for the past ten years he had carried all before him with a high hand; and now to have his darling project overset by the caprice of a shallow girl! Amazement, incredulity, rage, swept alternately over the great earl’s face. “By heaven, she shall not refuse him!” he said, start- . ing up and flinging open the study door. “Here, Eve- lyn, a word with you!” She was passing, in her slow, graceful way, down the domed and marbled hall. At the sound of her father’s voice she paused, and stood looking at him in quiet sur- prise. “Come into my study,” he said, briefly. “I have some- thing to say to you. She bent her head and followed him in silence. If she wondered, her face did not show it. ‘The instincts of her order were strong in Lady Evelyn Desmond—her pale, proud face very rarely betrayed her. She was a little surprised all the same. There had been very little inti- macy or confidence ever between the earl and his only daughter. She had never loved her father, never even in her earliest infancy, whilst she rega tded her mother with a passionate affection. It was part of his punish- ment, perhaps—it was certainly no fault of hers—she was honestly shocked at herself, and did her best ; but her best was a failure. She had no affection whatever for her father; and her remorse at that very lack of affection - made her doubly anxious to obey him in the smallest matter. It is true, he had rarely exacted any obedience from’ her; he was the most indulgent of parents; but had he been the tyrannical old despot of the melodrama, she would have yielded her will to his in almost all things, through her strong sense of duty. He placed a chair for her now with grave courtesy. She bowed with equal gravity and took it, quietly pre- pared to listen. He resumed his own seat by the writing- table, and broached his business at once. _ “T saw Vivian Trevannance with you on the terrace yonder, five minutes ago, my daughter. I can guess what his errand was. He asked you to be his wife ?” ~ comicbooks.co