A Servant of Satan: Romantic Career of Prado the Assassin — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

A SERVANT OF SATAN. _ 181 beauty, and their lovely daughter, Dolores. Don Garces y Marcilla was evidently a wealthy man, and occupied a lux- uriously appointed villa on the sea-shore. Frederick soon began to be a constant visitor at this house, and his atten- — tions to the fair Dolores were so marked that they became the talk of the beau-monde of St. Sebastien. Dolores was a remarkably dashing and handsome girl, with fiery black eyes and raven tresses. Her complexion was dark, and her lips were of the vivid crimson of a pomegranate flower. She was evidently very much in love with Frederick, and he had but little doubt that he would be accepted if he chose to ask her to be his wife. For him this marriage presented many advantages. To begin with, it would open wide to him the doors of the Spanish aristocracy. The Garces y Marcilla prided them- . selyes on being able to trace their descent from the kings of Aragon, and. were high up on the sccial ladder. Then, there was also the question of money. Frederick had found out that Dolores would not only receive on her wedding- day a dowry of 200,000 francs—not a big sum in itself, although in Spain it is considered quite large—but that, Don Garces y Marcilla being a rich man,’‘she would further - inherit a fortune at his death. Since he had lost all hopes of obtaining the hand of Lady Margaret, a marriage with — the daughter of Don Garces seemed to him to be the most advantageous to his interests. Still undecided, however, as to the course he should adopt, he one morning directed his steps toward the Garces villa, with the object of inviting the whole family to a dinner which he proposed giving, some days later, for the purpose of returning in some measure the courtesy and _ hospitality with which they had received him. As it was near midday, all the servants were down below at luncheon, and his approach was unnoticed. Walking along the veranda, he soon came to the long French win- ~ Gomicbooks Eco =|