Weaker than a Woman — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

116 WEAKER THAN A WOMAN, from it that he was never to see again; something was there which was never more to leave it. She gazed at him, and gave a little low cry, then standing before him she buried her face in her hands. He went up to her slowly; he took her hands from her face and raised it to his own. Then the lovely eyes closed; they could not meet his. He dropped her hands. “You are guilty, Violet. Great Heaven, you have be- trayed me. You meant what you wrote to-day.” There was something so quiet in his despair that Violet imagined his tone to be one almost of indifference, and the thought gave her courage; if he had shown any sign of great pain she would have been frightened. “T could not help it,” she replied. ‘‘ Do not be angry with me, Helix. J know itis the poorest of excuses, but it 1s true; I cannot help it. It was of no use going on in the same dreary way. Itmust have come to an end sometime.” ‘Let me quite understand,” he said; “let me make no mistake this.time. What have you done, Violet?’ ‘“T have not done anything; but it seems better that we should part. No good can come of our engagement; it was a mistake.” He looked sadly at her. “You say so, my darling, to whom I have given the best love of my heart; my life itself; you say that?” “It is true, Felix,” she replied; “and I am very sorry. I shall never like any one as I have liked you, and you will never really care about any other woman as you have cared for me; I know it, but it cannot be helped.” He held up his head with such dignity, such passion of despair, that she was silenced. The false, light words, the false, light excuses, all withered into nothing, and she knew that she stood in the presence of a mighty sorrow, a mighty passion. All her little affectations, her miserable apologies, became as nothing before Felix’s heart-rending distress and hopelessness. “Hush!” he said. “Do not add to your sin by another false word; do not mock me by excuses which you would be ashamed to make to a servant whom you were dismissing unjustly. Tell me, is it true?” ‘Is what true, Felix? Do not look so angrily at me— you frighten me. Is what true?” As she spoke she shrank back from him until she stood near the lilac bushes, the branches of which were bare now ~ of flowers. “Not there,” he cried, “for Heaven’s sake, not chee, ty . >> © a % om a veer as ~l tae be erie x Ad) a ; AY , “4 * = - re a ~~ —- e a> ’ ‘os pw comicbDooKs.com aa ; a. ate then’ l-- = i "be J a? | " é . j ° 4 m4 * ¥ te a t of eS E: — * Ful a “yy - < 69" 5 . — , ‘ r ss 7 on o igh BEY SP re ° ee 7 7 >» . “a » ~ - ~ Nes gf Ne 2 pp FPL Rabe ee s : ae, ~ Year sg