The Price He Paid — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

A PLAIN. TALK. 41 taught to think ‘of herself as an heiress; still less do | wish that this girl of seventeeen should make my will and my fortune the objects of her calcula- an as 16 1s, of course, quite natural others should 0.” The baroness drew a deep sigh. “1 meet with nothing but misconception from you. You even cast suspicion on the promptings ofa mother’s love, and misjudge her who, without fear or care for herself, trembles for the future of an only chlid!” “Not at all,” said Raven, impatiently; he was evidently weary of the conversation. “You hear, I consider such anxiety natural, and therefore I re- peat the assurance I have just given you. property having come to me from my father-in-law, I intend that it shall one day descend to his grand- child.. Should Gabrielle, as is probable, marry dur- ing my life-time, I shall provide for her dowry; at my death she will be, as I have said, my sole heir- ess.” The emphasis he laid on the word proved to the baroness that for herself she had nothing to expect. | Her daughter’s future being assured, however, she might look on her own as secure also, and thus her double object was attained. The hardly vailed contempt with which Raven treated her, and which Gabrielle’s fine instinct had detected in the manner of his first welcome, was by Madame von Harder either unfelt or unheeded. She had in her secret heart no more love for her brother-in-law than he for her; and in returning sweet words and gracious looks for his brusque curtness and indifference, she was merely deferring to a stern necessity; but the prospect of taking her place at the head of so brilhant an establishment, of shining in R—— as the governor’s near relative, and in this quality, of taking precedence everywhere, soothed, and ina great measure reconciled her to this necessity. A few minutes later Raven traversed the ante- room, which had the same view asthe adjoining boudoir, and stopping a moment atthe window, cast one more glance below. Gomicbooks (E(0)