Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

ee THRICR WEDDED. 103 Sir,” she retorted, pointing to the note he held in his hand, while her eyes flashed fire, and the blood mounted in an angry torrent to her pale brow, ‘‘sir, I have no desire to humiliate myself enough to await anything more definite than that.” nee regarded her with a look of admiration while he re- plied: ‘Believe me, Miss Dupont, I suffer moré than I can ex- press, that anything so unfortunate as this should have oc- curred. Nay,” he entreated, as he saw the scornful curve of her lip, and knew that she was thinking of her former opposition, ‘‘I also sincerely regret the past; so sincerely that I had come to receive my boy with open arms, and al- low him tofollow his own inclinations, if he still chose to claim you as his bride. I beg you will believe me. All op- position has long since died out of my heart.” Again Dora bowed coldly, and then said, with a touch of sarcasm in ker voice: “You perceive that your son has followed his own incli- nations in renouncing me. And I pray you will believe me when I say that I, too, regret the past; bitterly regret that I was ever the cause of discord in your family. If you will now give me the paper, I will prove my sincerity by at once sundering the relations which bind me to your son, Robert _Bllerton!” ) With tears in his eyes, the unhappy father took a folded aper from his bosom and handed it to our heroine. He ty the beautiful young creature was suffering, despite her cold and haughty manner, and his heart melted at the sight of her pure, waxen face and pale, sternly compressed lips. Had he dared he would gladly have taken her in his arms and comforted her. . But she was unapproachable. She hid her fearfully lacerated heart beneath a barrier of chilling scorn and contempt. Dora ran her eyes swiftly over the paper. It was in the form of an agreement between both parties, to annul the marriage ceremony which had _ been performed. over six years before. Robert Hllerton’s name was signed beneath! With a dash of her pen Dora affixed her own name underneath, and then returned the document to Mr. Eller- ton. | 7 Eomicbooks GO