A Struggle for a Ring — page 362: what you’re looking at

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

358 A SEPARATION DISCUSSED. thousand times fairer than I; but who is there like you? How could I see you, hear you, listen to your voice, look at your face, say to myself that I was your wife, and not love you? To suppose that I could do that would be to suppose that I had no human heart, no reason, no sense. How could I help loving you ?—gallant young hero who married me rather than let one shadow rest on my fair name? You should have made yourself less brave, less noble, less fair to see, less generous, if you desired to avoid my love.” ‘*Oh, Ailie,” he repeated, with a low moan, ‘‘if you could care less for me, think less of me; indeed, my dear, you mistake—I am not so noble or so generous as you think me.” : ‘‘TIt matters little what you are,” she repeated, ‘‘ it makes little difference. I would rather a thousand times have death from your dear hands than love from another. I can say no more. Tell me, have you taken any steps at all toward this separation ?” ‘“No, not one—not yet. It may be that such a separa- tion could not be granted ; 1 know no more than yourself of the marriage laws. I may be quite wrong in thinking that such a thing can ever be, but I thought of trying~-it seems the only method of cutting a Gordian knot; still I would not take even the preliminary steps without first ask- ing you and obtaining your consent. Aij{lie, the time is flying ; it is dangerous for you to stop out so late—tell me, have I your consent?” ‘“No,” she replied, ‘‘I cannot give it to you—yet let me think it over, let me say some prayers over it. I can- not decide such a question all at once. Give me twenty- four hours at least—that is not long in which to decide a cComicboo =) CeCe) m