Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

198 THRICE WEDDED. help regarding with wonder the man who had devoted his whole life to such an unworthy and dishonorable purpose. | ‘‘Ha! ha! ha!’ wildly laughed the still intensely excited squire, when he had regained his breath. ‘‘You may well look surprised. Methinks I can astonish you still more. Listen! I followed you, years ago, when you made your trip after the death of your darling. I tried to steal your child —hey child, and put my own nephew in his place. But that cursed nurse of yours was too quick for me, and I only got a sore and aching head for my pains. Yes, yes,” he hissed, as he saw the light beginning to break over Mr. ElI- lerton’s face. ‘‘It was probably the fright I gave her that caused her death. You possibly remember how hard she tried to tell you something when she was dying? Yes, well, that was it. And had you not suddenly disappeared from the place, [should have tried another grab at the youngster.” «Villa, do you mean to tell me that you have allowed such a pitiful jealousy to lead youtosuch crimes? Beware, lest they descend with tenfold force upon your own vile head!” exclaimed Mr. Ellerton, his eye flashing with angry excitement. ‘‘Ha! you are beginning to be touched, are you? Good! that is what I came here to-day for. I want to see you cringe beneath my power. It is very sweet to me to see you so; it quiets my nerves, and fills my heart with exultant joy, and I trust to see your proud head bowed still lower before I have done with you,” sneered the monster. ‘‘Leave my presence, vile fiend! I will not be polluted by so evil a thing,” commanded Mr. Ellerton, angrily. ‘“Not quite so fast, my lord,” replied the squire, mocking- ly. *‘I have not yet finished my interesting narrative. I would like to give you a list of the things I have done, rather than of those I have tried to accomplish. I reckon I gave your pride a severe blow when I married your only child to a beggar. You may look as lofty and scornful as ou choose, but for all that I knew it cut deep, as I meant it should, else vou would not have separated them, and ban- ished your boy from his home and his native land a ‘Hold, you sconndrel!”’ shouted the now thoroughly en- raged man, but with a gleam of triumph in his eye. ‘Hold! and let me tell you for your benefit, that the girl is not a beggar, as. you imagine, but the sole heiress of hun- dreds of thousands, and that, if my son chose to claim her comicbooks.com |