A Struggle for a Ring — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

98 A PROUD FAMILY. him with a keenness of regret and pain that frightened him. At that moment the contrast between himself and Alice, husband and wife; the contrast between the two homes, Cecil street and Roseneath Abbey; the contrast between his father, the peer, and her father, the dancing- master—struck him with a sharp, keen fear. What had he. doneP What could there be in common between two such homes? Beautiful as she was, could he ever bring Ailie to this stately, haughty mother of his, and say, ‘‘ This is my wife?” He could imagine the calm scorn, the un- spoken contempt in his mother’s eyes as he did so, Then he roused himself—it was for honor’s sake; men died for honor, he had only lived. A sudden idea océurred to him—he would ask his mother what she thought of a parallel case; then he should understand better how to tell her when the time came. hy They talked for a few minutes on indifferent subjects; then he said: | | ‘‘T heard a very strange story the other day, mother. I can give you no names—it was confidential, you under- stand.” «My dear Vivian, names seldom interest me,” ‘Unless they have titles,” he replied, laughingly. ‘‘But hear the story, mother; 1 thought it strange. <A gentle- . man—I can answer for it that he was a gentleman— invites a young girl to go out with him for a day’s holiday _ ‘How shocking!" cried her ladyship, with scorn. ‘‘ Pray do not say ‘gentleman,’ Vivian; no gentleman could do such a thing.” ‘Pray listen, mother. He did it—there was some reason given; I forget v.hat exactly. She was unhappy, and it was to give her one day’s happiness, ” ‘Very imprudent,” said her ladyship, indifferently, (ee) comicbooks ‘