The Price He Paid — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

66 LIVING IN REBELLION. “Little do I care whether my orders distress other people or not?” completed Raven, as she paused. “It may be so—but, Gabrielle, are you really so fond of this spring? ‘Would it positively distress you to see it stopped?” “Yes,” said Gabrielle, in a low voice, looking up at him. Her lips uttered no word of entreaty; but her eyes besought him earnestly, pleading for the doomed fountain. Raven was silent. Kor some minutes he stood by her without speaking. Then he began again: “I frightened you just now with my harsh views of life, but no one says you must share them. I forgot for a moment that youth has a right to dream, and that it would be cruel to rob you of the privilege. Keep your faith still in the golden far- off future, in the promise of the blue mountains. You may yet put gentle confidence in the world and in mankind; itis little likely you will ever in- cur their hostility and hatred.” His voice was vailed and wonderfully soft, and all austerity had vanished from his look, as it rested half-sadly on the young girl’s countenance; but Arno Raven was not one to be long influenced by such emotions; and, indeed, it seemed that no chance of yielding to them was to be afforded him, for at this moment steps were heard approaching, and as they turned, the lodge-keeper, accompanied by anelderly man—a mechanic, apparently—en- tered the garden. They stopped on perceiving the governor, and uncovered respectfully. Raven’s mildness had already vanished. He had quickly eye = on sores mood. “What is it?” he asked, in the curt, authoritati Ue habitual to him. ' niciersine 2 “Your excellency has given orders that th Nixies’ Well should be broken up, and the th ts stopped,” answered the master-mason. “It was to be done to-day, and my men will be here in half an hour orso. I only wanted to see beforehand whether there would be any difficulty, and if the work was likely to take up much time.” Nhe baron glanced at the fountain, and then at EOPMICE OO KS EO)