The Price He Paid — page 245: what you’re looking at

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

236 THE CYNOSURE OF INTEREST. affront put upon the governor of R——. They can- not possibly reward and distinguish the aggressor.” “But so it is, nevertheless; and I fear it‘is done purposely, out of opposition to the baron. JI really do not see, Matilda, why the assessor’s offer should have appeared so outrageous an absurdity to you and’to your brother-in-law. Instead of giving him his conge, and thereby driving him to this desperate step, you should have held out some hope to him.” “Held out hope to him!” repeated the baroness. “My dear Theresa, think what you are saying. He is aman of no birth.” “That is not an insuperable obstacle,” declared the countess, a worldly-wise practical woman, who took such prejudices of rank into little account, and who was evidently prepossessed by George’s man- ner and appearance. “What were brevets of no- bility invented for? Raven was a commoner him- self when your sister first engaged herself to him.” “That was an exceptional case, and Assessor Win- terfeld——” 2 “Will be every whit as successful. You need not look so astonished, Matilda; lam only expressing the general belief. After this first stroke—a bold one, certainly, which has turned the eyes of the country upon him—he need not fear being over- looked. Had he, in addition to his other advantages married into a noble old family such as yours, the road to eminence would have been clear before him—ay, to eminence equal to that attained by the successful Baron von Raven.” The entrance of Count Selteneck here put an end to the conversation. He was to accompany the ladies to the opera, but had been out to pay a visit from which he had just returned. Some indifferent questions and replies were interchanged, then the countess remarked that it must be time to start, and would have rung for the carriage, but her hus- band stopped her. “Qne moment, Theresa,” he said carelessly. “There is a trifling matter I want to discuss with you first. The baroness will kindly 'excuse us for a few minutes?” The baroness begged them not to Eomichooks- co