Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

1 tg Estella. “T don’t waut him to take any notice of me,” responded the young lady, rather sulkily: “I hate him!” “You shall marry him for all that.—Do you think I am going to keep you on my hands forever—a burden and a drag? I always resolved you should marry the first decent man who asked you, and Roysten Darrell is the first, and you shall marry him!” “T shan’t!” returned Estella, with-resolute defiance, “and he isn’t a decent man! I know what they say of him in the village; I know how the revenue cutters chase him; I know how he killed one of his men who informed on him two years ago—split his skull open with a crowbar; I know “T know you'll get your neck iwintent or your skull split | open if you don’t mind what you say!” shrieked the old man, in a fury. “Hold your poisonous tongue, miss, and hear me out! Roysten Darrell wants to marry you, and whether you lke it, or whether you don’t, marry him you shall be- fore you are a week older. Do you hear, Estella Mallory? Marry him you shall before another week!” _“T hear,” said Estella, getting up resolutely, “and I won’t! No, Mr. Fisher, not if you were to kill me! I’m afraid of that man—T hate him! and I’d die a thousand times before I'd ever be a wife of his!” “Dying is very easy in theory—very hard in practice, Young ladies of sixteen will do a good deal before they die. A week’s imprisonment on ‘bread and water will cool the fever-in your blood and bring down that high spirit a little. I won’t lock you up to-night. Ill give you a last chance, But if, by to-morrow, when Captain Darrell comes here for his answer, that answer is not ‘Yes!’ up you go to the attic, there to stay among the rats and beetles until the Yes’ comes !” Estella shuddered, but walked determinedly to the ene “Stop!” exclaimed the old man, also rising. ‘Hear me out! Don’t think of escape. You have fieither money nor friends —you stand utterly alone in’the wide world, dependent on me. No one in the village will help or harbor you. You are entirely in my power, to do with as I choose. ’ If I locked you up until the rats gnawed the flesh off your bones and nothing but your rattling skeleton remained, who would be the wiser? Think better of it, my good girl, ‘and when Cap- tain Darrell comes here to-morrow be ready to say ‘yes’ and ‘thank you.’ Now go!” The girl left the room without a word. In the dim light of the dusky passage she was deadly pale, but the youthful face looked fixed and resolute as doom. She walked to a window at ay end of the hall nicbo oks.<