Stella Rosevelt — page 209: what you’re looking at

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

STAR’S DETERMINATION. 203 abruptly and left the room, rétiring, however, with a sense of defeat which it was not pleasant to contemplate, The moment that the door closed after her, Star dropped again upon the floor by Mr. Rosevelt’s side, heart-bruken. He saw that she was utterly unnerved by what had just transpired, and for awhile he left her to herself’ At length, when she be- came more calm, he said, sorrowfully, yet gently: ‘«My child, tell me what Ellen means. What cause has she for coming here to accuse you of sucn dreadful things? Who is this Lord Carrol, and what has he been to you?” Star lifted her white, pained face to him. ‘“You do not believe what she has told you—you do not believe I would be guilty of anything so shameless as she would try to make me appear?” she questioned, brokenly. ‘*No, no; I think there is some terrible misunderstanding. I do not believe you would do anything which you knew to be wrong; and yet your own words have mystified me. I cannot comprehend them.” ‘IT will tell you all about it. I would not explain anything to her-—I could not after she had told me what fe said,” Star answered, but her face flushed with shame at the thought of confessing a tale of love and devotion on her part, of decep- tion and treachery on the part of the man whom she had so trusted. It seemed to her like a lack of dignity and of strength of character that she should have been so easily duped. Then she told him all the story of her love for Archibald Sherbrooke, beginning with that day when they had exchanged souvenirs on the steamer, and which, she felt, had been the commencement of their love. She told him how he had pre- vented her from leaping on the cars when they were in motion, and how every day after that he had contrived to meet her, luring her heart from her day by day, until the previous Satur- (E(oy payicel revo KS €o