The Price He Paid — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

30 A PLAIN TALK. with adefiant toss of the head. “Oh, he thought he would frighten me with his great solemn eyes which seem to bore one through and through, as though they would read the most secret thoughts of one’s heart; but Iam nota bit afraid.of him, We shall see whether he can bend me to his will, whether he will find me as pliable as he has found other people.” The baroness grew alarmed. She feared, with oood reason, that this exceedingly spoilt daughter, who ruled her mother in everything, and was by no means accustomed to put a restraint on herself, would now give the reins to her waywardness, and display it in her behavior to the baron himself. She exhausted all her stock of arguments and en- treaties, but with no satisfactory result. Miss Gabrielle seemed to take a peculiar pleasure in roundly expressing her defiance of her guardian, and showed herself in no way disposed to abandon the warlike attitude she had at once taken up toward him. But her serious mood had already spent itself, having lasted a most unusual length of time. The old petulant gayety returned in full force. “Mamma, Ido believe you are in real earnest afraid of this old ogre of an uncle,” she cried, with amerry laugh. “ Well, lam more valiant—I shall beard the monster in his den, and I promise you he will not eat me.” CHAPTER III. . A PLAIN TALK. The Government-house of R—— was an ancient castle, which for long years had been the dwelling- place ofa princely family, but which in the ever- changing course of events had become the property of the State, and now served as the seat of the pro- vincial government and the residence of its tem- porary head. The grand, spacious old edifice was situated on a hill just outside the town, and in spite of the prosaic destiny which had overtaken it in Gomicdbooks (E(0)