The Opposite House: A Novel — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

The Opposite Flouse. 14! you from my heart because I thought myself too good for such a love; and now I return, pleading once more for this forfeited happiness in the dust before you. Can you deny me?” He had knelt on one knee, and with his handsome head bowed awaited her reply. And Heloise bent toward him, but the glance fixed upon him was that of an adder, and the voice sounded cold and heart- less as it hissed in reply : “Once! Do you remind me of those days, Gerrald Very well, then ; I, too, will recall the past to you. You wounded me to the very depths of my soul, scorned me, trampled my love under foot; but I swore a terrible oath that I would have my revenge upon you forthat hour! Atthattime /knelt before you. also pleaded for pity; you might have saved me, rescued me from the boards of the stage, but you heartlessly thrust me back, condemning the dancer to the dust of the world, while you were to soar upward, high into the radiant ether, where such wretched worms as I need no longer be seen. Fool that you were! You held before my eyes a talis- man, saying: ‘This arms me against you!’ AndI swore by the salvation of my soul that you should atone for those words, if there were any such thing as justice in the world. You should lie in the dust before me, as I did then before you ; you should sue for the love you disdained, as a dying man pleads ComicbooOoks.c©