Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

Roanoke of Roanoke Halt. 113 sion of piteous appeal, which should have softened a heart of adamant, and her quiv- ering lips fell apart rather than opened ; but, before she could utter the word of ter- rified denial that fluttered on her panting breath, John o’ Compton rose, and fixed his fierce gray eyes upon her. Then followed the weirdest of scenes. Slowly, as if drawn against all resistance by some overpowering force, she swung round towards him, and as he stood silent and motionless, she advanced beneath his imperi- ous gaze, dragging each foot as if, had it been possible, she would have nailed it through the flesh into the ground sooner than move it, until she stood close in front of him, look- ing up with that fixed stare of hateful dread. Still without word spoken, he held out his right hand. She hesitated for an instant, but as he concentrated the fire of his eyes upon her, she raised her arm, as if it had been lead, and placed her hand in his. So they stood while one might count twenty, and then all in an instant her ex- pression changed, a faint smile crossed her comichbooks.com