Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 176: what you’re looking at

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

170 Roanoke of Roanoke Hall. you, but this cruel lawsuit threatens my ruin, and has already sorely crippled me. I . am not mercenary, but it is essential that May should wed 8 man of means. You are too poor.” *¢ But uncle,” I said, ‘she loves me. She has told me so again and again.” ** Tush, tush!” he said, with some irritation —‘‘a maiden’s fancy. She will ere long out- grow it, and I must say, Ralph, that it would have shown more fitting in you to have con- sulted me in the matter before extorting such an avowal from a silly wench.” “‘There was no need of extortion,” I an- swered, angrily, ‘‘and I think the suggestion most insulting. The affair, as you should know, is of long standing, and the avowal came in due course, as the fruit follows the blossom, and the blossom the bud.” “Softly, softly,” said he, quite undis- turbed. “Why so hot? I should, I own, have kept my eyes more open to what was going on around me than [ have done, but it is not too late. Buds may be nipped, you know, and blossoms beaten down, without harm done to the tree.” oO comicbooks.com