The Opposite House: A Novel — page 281: what you’re looking at

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

276 The Opposite House. ure so painfully sought, while Traugott listened as though to an incomprehensible tale. “What can have become of that ballet-dancer ?” asked the young girl, pausing suddenly and looking up at him with almost timid glance. “ That woman could not have known a moment’s happiness from that hour, or she never loved you!” “She is dead,’ replied Gerrald, in a sorrowful tone. ‘‘She died at peace and reconciled to God and the world. The butterfly flitted through its bright summer of happiness, and enjoyed its short, bright existence ; but could not endure the winter of want and sorrow. She succumbed to the shadow which she herself had cast over her sun.” “Then you saw her again? You talked with her?” The young officer narrated his meeting with the will-o’-the-wisp that had once more crossed his path, suddenly beaming with a milder radiance, and then vanishing in eternal darkness. “She remained in the hospital and nursed her former lover,” Traugott continued, in atone of deep feeling. ‘She never left his couch until he fell asleep, and then she glided up to the other rooms, where she talked and jested with her countrymen as though her gay laughter could belie the pallid cheeks which revealed her suffering. I had forgiven her, and this rendered hex s2lm and almost gentle ; Comicboooks.c© 5}