The Man in Possession — page 305: what you’re looking at

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

300 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. you would never forgive me. I—I felt to-night I could not leave England with those words ringing inmyears. I told youwhylIcame.... If youcould just say what I asked you, I should start a happier man for hearing it. Am I asking too much?” ‘No,’ she said. ‘‘It is very little at—at such a time.” | Her gentleness was harder to bear than her scorn or anger had ever been. ‘‘Tam not going to offer any plea or any excuse for what I did,” he continued hurriedly. ‘‘The time has gone by for that. It often takes a man’s life to expiate a boy’s folly. I can’t pretend even now, Kate, that I can alter—or forget you. If I had only known—if I had only gone straightforwardly to work. But what use to speak; if regrets ever came till too late, there would be no such thing as a regret in the world!. .. IThope you willbe happy. ... Ican still find it in my heart to wish that, only——" His voice broke, he could not continue. All he had lost, all he had hoped, swept over him in a flood of bitter memories. The young haggard face on which the firelight fell told her its own tale of suffering. ‘“There is no need to wish me anything,” she said, ‘‘and no use. I shall not expect happiness, perhaps I do not believe in it. But I see my life mapped out before me, and no doubt it will not be harder than it has been. Don’t speak about me any more: tell me of yourself, your plans. I think America is the best place you could go to, if—if you still intend to adopt a political career.” ECOMNCE OOO SS) (SO