Vashti's Fate — page 308: what you’re looking at

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

THE MEETING. 303 laughing at her anxious tone. ‘‘Indeed, I haven’t a sin- gle doubt of it.” | | As Nora and Leon left the parlor, Vashti tore herself from her husband's passionate clasp, and laid her beautiful head in the dust at his feet. In vain he tried to lift her. ‘Flere! here!” she moaned, ‘‘here is my place till I have confessed and been forgiven! Oh, Robert—my hus- band—sit down and hold my head upon your knees, if you 1’? will, till I have told you! | She made him sit down. She knelt and poured forth all that burning recital of her life of pain and bitterness. She sounded the depths of the resentful nature that had been hers relentlessly, and showed him how all her life she had gleaned and garnered only chaff and wormwood out of the beautiful harvest with which God had folded her way. She did not spare herself in the least, neither in ner errors nor their expiation. Thorpe sat in stilled awe under the torrent of her eloquent outpouring. When she ceased speaking he drew her resistless again to his arms, caressing her tenderly. She roused him by saying: ‘‘T knew you would love me none the less,” With an impulsive movement he pressed kiss after kiss on her brow and lips. oaaee ‘«More—more, a thousand times, my wife. I like your proud spirit dependent on me—on me, alone.” ‘*But I’m not proud now,” she said, clinging to him ; ‘‘my pride is all gone. I am only a broken reed— humble, suppliant, dependent on God and FOU as a little child.” When Nora and Leon stared the room soon after, the professor was still supporting Vashti, Both had been ComiIcboo MT 7. Cd < » As ° Dit haa ~ Sie @ 34-5 y s cS co m