Vashti's Fate — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

- 4 : : . : > ae « ~~ ae, 7 —\e~ — ae, 4 2 a * tes 2 >» . ° <7e « > | ai ot oe igs — aig ~~ Si, » * re r ous a*§ ee r. \, . oe br - al ‘ mee 20 » es toare WN oP. ro tos ~ ; <3 + : > ye . a « ; vt wa aw - ae ~~ —_— . ‘«Stand away from me, or I will leave the room. I did not ask you here to give or receive caresses. Don't you know, Thorpe,”—with her curious, wistful smile— ‘‘that love and kisses are not for us? ~ Oh, willful man, could you not suffer me to save you from linking your fate to such an unhappy life as mine is?” ‘‘T would make it a happy one,” he cried, breathlessly. ‘““What made you tear my heart as you have done the ‘past week, with your graceless ways?” ‘*] wanted to make you jealous. I confess it—I did.” ‘*You confess. Well, rash man, I confess, too. I was jealous—jealous enough to strangle that fair-faced woman.” A pause; she eyed him narrowly. ‘‘ Thorpe you must never torture me so again.” “‘T shall, if Ican- I shall do anything to compass the bliss of seeing you, having you entreat me thus.” She took a step toward him, laid her soft warm hands upon his folded arms, and with her glorious face almost on his shoulder, said: ‘* My professor, you love me very much, do you not?” A thrill ran through him ; he feared to move lest the ecstatic vision should fade from his sight. “‘More than life!” he said, in his deep-toned voice, looking down upon her. “‘Would you marry me on any conditions I might im- pose—mind, any conditions?” Her face flushed scarlet as she spoke, and with an invol- untary movement, she hid it on his shoulder. He gave an exclamation, half triumph, half ecstasy, his folded arms slid from their clasp to fling themselves about her and hold her in a fierce, strong embrace. She clung to him, she laid her cheek to his, she suffered him to’press numberless kisses on her face, and then she Z | | ~“GCOmMic oKefe) cs (e(e) m