Weaker than a Woman — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

as - WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. _ 95 . pretty white hands with the pink tapering fingers depre- ecatingly. | “Tam sure of it, Violet. I know what money is, and how far it goes. With every man’s hand against him Felix will have a hard struggle, and the only way in which you can help him will be by spending as little money as you can.” | Then wise Mrs. Haye left the words to work their effect. In the meantime Sir Owen devoted himself unceasingly to Violet. Every day brought some lavish gift or other to the Limes—great hampers of game and fruit, of rare for- eign wines, of flowers—and Violet said nothing of them before Felix, because she saw he was hurt that he could not do the same—and during that period the girl’s mind was tortured and harassed by doubts and fears. It was such a chance to miss. She might be Lady Cheve- nix of Garswood; she might be the wealthiest woman in all the county; and yet she had elected to be nothing all her life but a mere domestic drudge. When Sir Owen eame over and insisted upon driving her out, she would say to herself that luxury was a necessity for her, that she ‘eould not live without it, that she must have it. Then Kve Lester would spend a day with her, and would talk to her with such noble simplicity, such simple grandeur, of the life before her, that she felt she loved Felix more than ever. At Wale House, however, the cloud deepened, and honest Darcy Lonsdale wore his great heart away in sor- rowful repining. One evening—how well Violet remembered it—it was the beginning of July, and the western sky was erimson with the setting of the sun, Sir Owen rode up to the door. He came into the dining-room, where the family had just par- taken of tea, and it struck all of them that he was ill at ease. He spoke chiefly to Mrs. Haye, and looked but seldom at Violet. “JT went to London yesterday,” he said, “and something tempted me into a jeweler’s shop. I bought some very fine diamonds, and I have brought them for you to see.” He took some heavy morocco cases from his pocket, and Violet looked up with a new light in her eyes and a low cry of delight. “Few women,” thought Sir Owen, ‘can resist the temptation of diamonds.” He opened the cases, and laid them before her. There were a beautiful diamond star, a superb necklace, brooch, ear-rings, bracelet, and rings, all with stones of the first a water, full of fire, clear, brilliant, and beautiful. The crim- ae : ecomicbooks (aie)