Lady Evelyn — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

lWeavtigt the * Web. ape a word, if such inconceivable nonsense could exist, I should . say Kathleen’ s heart was smashed to flinders. Ah, yous Vigan a great deal to answer for, my Lord Roderick!” “Hor Heaven’s sake, Gerald !” Rory exclaimed, impetu- ously flinging away his cigar; ‘‘speak plainly. You never. 99 mean ‘10: say———— | “Ah, but I do!” Gerald said, plaintively. “She’s gone down beyond redemption, poor little beauty! I don't set up for mentor, my dear Télemachus; but, ‘pon honor, I don’t think you ‘ve done the handsome thing by Kathleen. ‘The little one’s as innocent as a babe. She thought you — serious all along. I tell you, candidly, she’s as geod as toid me she expected you to marry her, and she’s most ab- surdly over head and ears in love with you. She cried last evening, down there on the sands, until her pretty ~ blue eyes were as red as a ferret’s, and her little, unclassi- cal nose swollen to twice its natural size. It’s only in novels, and on the stage, women know how to weep with- — out making hideous frights of themselves. You’ve made the strongest sort of love to her, my innocent Rory—you — know you have—and now you throw her off without a word. Well, it’s owr nature, but it’s hard on the women. If you had only let her down gently, now—but with a jerk ~ like this! Ah, bad policy, dear boy—bad policy!” And then they passed away beyond sight and hearing, the last words coming faint and far-off to the listener’s ears. She did not see the flush of honest sorrow and shame that mantled Roderick Desmond’s fair, frank face, or hear the pastoral erief and sel f-reproach in his voice as he Ne spoke “Before heaven, Gerald! I never loved Kathleed Save Pe) as a sister—a little playmate and pet—or thought she loved me! -I never made love to her. I pledge you my — !?? sacred honor, I never thought of this! Gerald Desmond laughed lightly. “No; I dare say not. We don’t premeditate and do these things in cold blood. We go on impulse, and it x comes to much the same thing in the end. You never made love to her? My dear, artless Lord Roderick ! there are ways and ways of making love. She thinks you did. So where is the difference? Never mind, Rory; girls will Ay se bees ity. as ¥ ea oe aks be fools to the end of ane eee ‘ "Tis » €omicboo pts TEEN IE) ce ) | os 4) “* 4, ay A *¥. at . =) mas Wie Oe 4 vet ey me re bes \ Bias 4 Ent cde 43 4 OE AS RUT