Vashti's Fate — page 260: what you’re looking at

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

A STRANGE VOW. 256 ‘‘And then?” he said, with his eyes grown stern upon her face. ‘‘“And then go forever away from me; swear never to approach me unless summoned.” ‘*But, Vashti, this is wickedness, it is barbarous. What should we gain but torture from such a course?” An anguished expression swept over her face. ‘‘T should not have my heart torn asunder with the sight of your tenderness to that hateful woman, that pale-faced St. Clair; or if I did, I should know that you were mine, and mine only, not hers, never hers Choose, sir—will you have me for your wife?” His usual staid blood leaped in his veins, ‘‘T will have you for my wife,” he said, hoarsely. ‘‘I will marry you, though the penalty be never to look upon your face again.” He extended his arms-as he spoke, but she retreated from him, and vanished through the door, saying: ‘*T will be back instantly.” He paced the room with fiery impatience. Before he had turned on his restless heel three times she was back. A clergyman, well known to the professor, followed her, and behind him came Frank Everleigh and Violet Granger, the former with a displeased and reluctant look upon his handsome face, and the latter lovely as a Peri from the | gates of Paradise. Vashti wore this evening a robe of white silk taffeta, with white lilies upon her breast and in her hair. Over all, in her hurried absence from the room, she had thrown an ex- quisite and voluminous vail of gossamer, that fell like a ~ snow mist about-her, even to her feet. ‘Thorpe came hur- riedly forward to meet her. With a face like marble, she said, stopping him: EGOMGE olofe) cS CO m