A Struggle for a Ring — page 340: what you’re looking at

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

336 “DO YOU LOVE ME?" ‘‘T will answer as frankly as you have asked,” she replied. ‘‘ Yes.” And then there was a long silence; across the white, haggard pain of his face came even in that moment a gleam of rapturous delight; yet, even in that moment, the thought crossed his mind that if she had said ‘‘no,” he need not have broken Ailie’s heart. ‘* Ves,” she repeated. ‘‘I do not know your motive in: asking me; perhaps some women would have declined it, would have said ‘no,’ and sacrificed everything for pride. I am proud, but in owning that I love you I do not lose sight of this fact—that five years ago, when circumstances threw us together, you left nothing undone to win my love, and I have loved you ever since.” He bent his head with a low murmur of pain. ‘As you say,” she continued, ‘‘I do not know all; I have always -thought that there was some mystery in your life—some story which the world did not know—you will tell it to me in your own good time. Shall we go back? Lady Waldrove evidently thinks our /efe-a-ée/e a long one.” _ ** May God pardon me!” he said. ‘‘If I have not been wicked, I have been a reckless man.” They went back again, and Lady Ethel, without another word, left him and joined a merry group just finishing a round game at cards. Lord Carsdale looked as he felt— unhappy. Ailie was not present. The countess called him to her. ‘“You have found something very interesting to talk to Ethel about,” she said; but, to her surprise, he made her no laughing answer. ‘‘I do not know that we have either of us been very much amused,” he replied; and Lady Waldrove, seeing that he looked both dull and gloomy, said no more. comicbooks. CO