The Price He Paid — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

266 GABRIELLE’S RETURN.—RETROSPECTIVE. bay window came a broad, golden stream of light, filling the somber room with a strange transfigur- ing gleam. Raven’s look rested moodily on the brilliant flood. So had the sunbeam glanced across his life, gilding, glorifying all for a brief space, to disappear suddenly, leaving him again in loneliness and darkness. A sigh, so deep as to be almosta groan, burst from his laboring breast. He was alone now, and needed not the mask of proud, im- passible calm. To have preserved it longer would have exceeded all human strength. He pressed his hand to his burning brow, and closed his eves. Some time went by, and he still sat on, absorbed in his gloomy brooding; then the door opened gen- tly, almost inaudibly, and as gently closed again. Raven did not notice it, and did not stir, until the rustle of a woman’s dress close at hand startled him. He turned, and a great spasm passed across his face; but the exclamation he would have ut- tered died on his lips, and he gazed with speechless amazement, almost withawe atthe vision before him, which could only be a creation of his dis- ordered fancy. Epos him, in the full stream of light, stood Gabrielle, motionless, surrounded by an aureole of golden rays, as though in verity she were but an apparition called up by the earnest, passion- ate craving of a despairing heart, a phantom which would the next minute vanish mysteriously as it had come. ~The baron had risen. “Can it—can it be your” he asked at length, and his breath came sort and quick. “I thought you were far away.” “T left town this morning,” replied the young girl, in alow voice. “L have only just arrived. They told me you were here in your room.”’’ Raven did not answer. His eyes were still riveted on the fair, tender face, as though even yet he could not believe in the reality of her presence. Yes, she was there indeed! how, wherefore, he did not at present think of inquiring. Gabrielle seemed to misinterpret his silence. She stood in the same spot, timid and anxious, not venturing to approach ~ comicbooks (E(0)