The Price He Paid — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

142 DR. BRUNNOW, JR., TO BE CONVERTED. jected interview between the lovers took place. Chance favored it in an unhoped-for degree. Coun- cilor Moser had accepted a colleague’s invitation, and was away in thetown. Frau Christine had also gone out, so there was no need even to think of a pretext. A visit from Gabrielle to Agnes Moser, and Winterfeld’s call at the house of his superior, who was unfortunately from home, were occurrences so natural that the coincidence be- tween them might well pass for accidental. “Forgive me for having recourse to these means,” said George, hastily, as soon as he found himself alone with Gabrielle. “I really had no alternative, and I told the baron plainly that, notwithstanding his prohibition, I should make an attempt to see and. speak to you again. I came tosay good-by, perhaps for years.” Gabrielle turned very pale, and her eyes searched the speaker’s face with an expression of alarm. “Hor Heaven’s sake, tell me—what has hap- pened?” “There has been no action on my part that need cause you uneasiness. The hand which so inex- orably sunders us is your guardian’s. He yester- day announced to me my transferment to the capi- tal, and to the ministry, our headquarters. You see how far his influence reaches, and how skillfully he uses it in order to part us two.” “No, no; you must not go!” cried Gabrielle, in great distress, clinging to him as though for protec- tion. “You must not leave me now, George. Do not, do not leave me alone just now!” “Why not now, particularly?” he asked in sur- prise. “Do they worry and torment you on my ac- count? But, indeed, I might have known it. Raven is hard and unfeeling to the verge of cruelty, when he wishes to crush down opposition. You are persecuted with reproaches, with suspicions and threats, are you not. Gabrielle? They are do- ing all in their power to break your resistance, is it not so? Speak, I must know the truth.” _The young girl shook her head with a faint nega- tive gesture. Gomicbooks (E(0)