A Struggle for a Ring — page 298: what you’re looking at

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

204 A TRYING POSITION. the pain became insupportable. She saw on the face of her rival, Lady Ethel, that which she had never seen before. She knew that she ought to go, that it was an intrusion on her part to remain in the room, but she could not tear her- self away. The blood was boiling in her veins, her heart was beating fast. How could she bear it? She longed for one word from his lips, as thirsty flowers long for dew; she longed for a word, a look, a caress; but she might as well have longed for the moon. While the eyes with _which he looked on Lady Ethel were bright and tender, she could not tear herself away. She sat down at the table and opened the book; she drew pen, and ink, and paper toward her, but how was she to make the quotations? The letters swam before her eyes, there was a great mist before the page; she could only say over and over again to her- self that he was her husband, and she could not, she would not bear that he should talk in that fashion to another woman. The tender heart was torn into a thousand doubts and fears. She héard Lady Ethel say, ‘‘ You are variable as an April morning, Lord Carsdale. Half an hour ago you were all that was bright and pleasant; now you are distracted. You are speaking to me with your thoughts somewhere else.” Ailie heard it, and quite involuntarily She looked at her husband, and their eyes met. He said to himself it was intolerable, a system of espionage, and he would not submit. How could he endure the wistful, — earnest gaze of those sad, sweet eyes? ‘‘T am doing her no harm,” he thought; ‘‘ why need she look like an embodied reproach at me?” No; it was not to be endured—men never endure a thing that can be cured. He knew the remedy in this case—it was his own absence from the room. Yet, although he was annoyed with her for being there, he wanted her to = (€ @) comichooks