The Price He Paid — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

180 ASSESSOR WINTERFELD’S PAMPHLET. Gabrielle was silent. Shecould not answer in the negative, and the thought that, in truth, she had known of George’s intention, at least, robbed her of her presence of mind. The low words which the young man had spoken when parting from her acquired a fatal importance now; they weighed on the young girl, and seemed to crush her witha sense of guilt. — Raven’s eyes had never quitted her face. His fingers slowly relaxed; he let her hand fall, and stepped back. “ So you knew it,” he said; “and with that knowl- edge you stood quietly by and saw me wrestle with a senseless passion; saw me finally succumb to the weakness. By Heaven! it is too much, too much!” His voice was still constrained andlow, but some- thing in it foretold the coming outbreak. Gabrielle felt herself powerless, defenseless, against his accusations. She made an attempt, however, to meet and refute them. “Hear me, Arno. Youare mistaken. I have not deceived you, nor betrayed you. If I knew any- thing——” “Say no more!” he interrupted her, with terrible vehemence. “I will hear nothing. I know enough. Your silence just now spoke more plainly than words. Justify your conduct to him, to your ‘George;’ confess to him that you could not keep his secret to the last moment. He will perhaps for- give you. The warning would, any way, have come too late. This I will own, I did him an in- justice in declaring him to be a commonplace per- son, not above the ordinary run of men. Evidently he is not afraid to leave accustomed grooves, to un- dertake feats which no one has ventured on before him, and which no one, I think, in future will care to emulate. He may possibly make his way with it, this young assessor, whom yesterday nobody knew, and whose name will to-morrow be in every- body’s mouth, simply because he has had the audacity to whet his sword and attack me. But he will pay dearly for the notoriety, I give you my word for that. As yet I have never feared a foe, Eomichooks.co