A Parisian Romance — page 243: what you’re looking at

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

934 A PARISIAN ROMANCE. Henri noticed their embarrassment, and at once realized that something unusual had occurred. “What is it, mother?” he said. “What has hap- pened, doctor? What is the matter with you both?” “Your mother will tell you,” replied the doctor, pulling vigorously at his gray mustache, to hide his agitation. Thus forced to make the revelation she so dreaded, Madame de Targy summoned up all her courage, and began, with her eyes fixed steadily on Henri: “My son, since you left me an hour ago, an event has happened which will once more disturb the current of our lives—a very grave event, one which we were far from expecting and which imposes upon us a great and painful duty. Marcelle——” She paused. In mute amazement Henri gazed alternately at the doctor and his mother. Then, a ghastly pallor overspread his face, and through his white lips came the scarcely audible question: “Marcelle is alive?” “Yes,” said the doctor, extending the letter he had read to Madame de Targy. Henri mechanically took the paper, and then, with a visible effort to control his emotion, he read it slowly through from beginning to end. “Pity!” he said, with an accent of bitterness, crushing the letter in his hands. “Well, yes. Go and see her, mother. Doctor, will you be good enough to accompany my mother? I—I cannot,” Eomicbooks,.co