The Man in Possession — page 230: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 225 bit of misunderstanding, and the whole of his schemes and hopes were dashed to pieces. He tried to rage at her. He told himself women were but shallow vessels, their passions weak, their instincts faulty, their natures but as shifting sand. Yet, though he raged and railed against the sex and Kate O’Brien at its head, it did not seem to ease his pain. He tossed her—mentally—to all the Fates and Furies, but the red-hot flame of wrath only added to the tortures of that other flame within his breast, and burned and mingled with it until he was as one distraught. He found himself at last on the Embankment, and visions of suicide presented themselves to his mind, favoured by the shadowy mists that shrouded.the melancholy river. If she heard he was dead, if the news were in the morning papers, would she be sorry then? Would she recognise what the cruelty and mercilessness of woman could mean, and would remorse seize upon her proud heart, and torture her as she had tortured him? ‘‘No. I don’t suppose she'd care,” he thought, coming to an abrupt standstill. ‘‘She’d only go out and buy her wedding-gown as a distraction. ... I believe women have no hearts. . . . And what fool could have said that Irish girls are romantic, pas- sionate, impulsive? Here’sa specimen. . . . If she had been English I wouldn’t have wondered at her not approving an unconventional proceeding, but a girl of her race ought to understand and excuse any folly if love for her was the cause of it. . . . And to think of IS COMicloe (Sri C(O)