Roxy Hastings — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS. 14} ‘And that is—” | “On Holden, who wanted a rich son-in-law, and who | wee me believe that I was a welcome suitor to his daugh- er. | “Yes. And you, were not you a little too willing to be- lieve this improbability in the face of some evident signs to the contrary? I only guess at this Mr. Burr, but I want you to take your share of the blame.” “I admit it, my dear madam,” said J edediah, humbly ; “but I did not know the strength of her attachment to Mr. Lee. I did not know his extraordinary history, or that she believed him dead, and it certainly was not I who withheld from her the knowledge of his escape.” “No; your share of the wrong done to Miss Holden seems to be small. What matter, then, what the world says ?” “A great deal. People turn and stare at me in the streets ; children whisper and point me out: I am para- graphed in the papers; I expect daily to be caricatured- in the shop windows, and I have threes men under pay to watch daily the cheap song stands and buy up and sup- press the doggerel song which I know will be published about me.” “You are too sensitive. A small part of these evils only exists in reality ; the rest your morbid fancy creates. Of course there is a little natural curiosity in regard to you just now—nothing more. The caricatures and songs which you dread will never appear, and people will cease to stare at you.”’ } ‘‘Do you think go?” ‘I do, indeed.” “You are very kind. You give me comfort. But those were certainly terrible things in the newspapers.” “TI did not see them. Think how few did—except entire strangers to you.” “ Yes, there is comfort in that, but there will be more, and I can’t stand them—I’m sure I can’t !” ‘‘T think I could tell you—” The widow hesitated, and a slightly heightened color was perceptible in her rosy cheeks. **'W hat ?” | “How to neutralize all such attacks, even if they are made.” “Pray tell me, then, dear madam,” said Jededah, eagerly, making amotion as if he would have seized the widow’s hand in his thoughtless way. | oo Ko) (@) ¢€om cS (ele)