Vashti's Fate — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

ee de tee a 2 Fey Rt : ar - cs Pa wight eth oe pike oe eae ee “a ., dai) , a 7 ° + ’ + . ee aii 8 late, “- os mo" . we o ee a oy SP BASS hed dl o* 7 . re c. ~ <7; > ir. ee | « > eed ad So 242 REVELATIONS—DESPAIR. “Ts it, then, all in vain, child—have I murdered your heart? Oh! I meant well; I meant to save you. Vashti, do you hear? I loved your father; I loved him so much that I would have died by slow torture to save him from his fate. I loved him, and he loved me before he loved your mother. He married your mother, but I always loved him ; and when his sane self died, I wanted—oh ! Vashti, I yearned as a mother might, to save his children. — Forgive me, Vashti, that I made such a terrible mistake— forgive me for my wasted life.” Vashti lifted her hands and laid them on Margery’s shoulders, while she said : ‘‘Such forgiveness as mine is you are welcome to, Aunt Margery. I suspect I need forgiveness myself very much. It is a queer, tangled mess to me, somehow. It seems to me life isn’t very much worth living for.” Her hands dropped to her sides, her eyes wandered dreamily over the room. ‘The windows were wide open, and through them she could see the cool, fresh shadows of the graves beyond; farther on still was the Everleigh burial-place—just where she caught the gleam of the white tombstones through the swaying leaves. Margery Gresham was weeping. Vashti turned to her. ‘‘Aunt Margery, I think I should like to see papa, I am going to see him now. Will you go with me?” Miss Gresham looked aghast. ‘“Not now, Vashti—not to-day.” ‘“T am going now,” said Vashti, quietly, and as she spoke moved toward the door. ‘‘Oh, this must not, must not be!” Miss Gresham cried, following after her. ‘‘ Dr. Gracie, can't you stop her?” ‘‘Go with her, Miss Margery—go, Philip ; as well try to stop the upheaving of an earthquake—you can’t do it, 4 : i~ 7 - : - : ‘ . " =) oa ‘ : a - ive . fe ee gS tae oP ie we ¥y et ? 4 ee Oe Te) ee of a ss ey ue a "4 ty a 7. Pe a a ee ‘4 ae =) ae ats :