Weaker than a Woman — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

¥ > WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. 105 _ was literally stunned. He had borne all his sorrows with a brave, strong heart because he had a true hope, a beau- tiful, warm love. To take that from him was to leave him with no ground to stand on. Slowly thought and reason came back to ee He rose, still with the open letter in his hands, with a white, set look on his handsome, haggard young face which might have — touched a heart of stone. He took his hat from the stand, and the clerk looked after him with a terrified gaze, won- dering what could have happened to him. “There was bad news in the letter,” he said, “but where has he gone with it open in his hand like that?” More than one person whom Felix Lonsdale met asked themselves the same thing, more than one spoke to him; but he did not hear—he walked on, looking straight before him, his eyes fixed on vacancy, his white, set face without change or expression, until he reached the Limes. What he suffered as he passed the old land-marks, the trees, the stiles, the lilac bushes at the gate, was known only to Heaven. He went straight into the house, and Mrs. Haye herself was the first person that he met. She was half frightened when her eyes fell upon his face; so unlike was it to any face she had ever seen, so changed by his great woe, she could hardly recognize it. She held out her hand to him with some commonplace words of welcome. He did not hear them. “Come in here,” he said, and, taking her arm, he led her into the nearest room. ‘“ Tell me,” he asked, “did you write this ?” There was methine to be said but the truth, yet in all her life Mrs. Haye had never been more frightened. She had. to deal with a desperate man. “Yes, I wrote it, Felix; it was wisest, kindest, best.” “ And you say that Violet is willing—that Violet knows about it ?” “I wrote it with her express sanction,” she replied. “It is false! I would not believe you if you swore it! I will not believe it! Heaven is not so cruel.’’ “ There is no cruelty in it,” said Mrs. Haye; “it is what must be done.” | “Must be done! Do you know that she is my life itself, that I have no life apart from her, no hope that does not begin and end with her? If you take her from me, you leave a dead body—she is my soul itself!” He paused, for the passion of his words overcame him Comicbooks.co