Weaker than a Woman — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

170 ' ‘WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. “he does not seem in the least degree agitated or embar- rassed—he has forgotten me,” and, as the thought came to her, her eyes filled with tears. ‘‘He never could have cared so very much for me,” she said to herself; “ he could not really have grieved about losing me.” She looked at him—he was talking in a lively and ani- mated strain to Lady Maude. She wondered to herself if this calm, proud, handsome man, so perfectly well-bred, so self-possessed, talking so brilliantly to the earl’s daugh- ter—if this could really be the same ardent, despairing young lover who had bidden her a passionate farewell. He was in no hurry to talk toher. She had rather pictured herself as having to hint something like prudence to him ; she could have laughed at herself for the notion. He did not look at her ; she doubted even whether he had noted her rich dress, her shining jewels. When she spoke he replied with polite indifference; with well-bred calm- ness, but he never once voluntarily addressed her. It was all so different from what she had pictured that she ex- perienced a strange sense of depression. Lady Maude was compelled to leave them for a few min- utes, and then Lady Chevenix turned to Felix. ‘How strange it, seems that we should meet here,” she said. “Yes, it is strange,” he replied. ‘Iam very often here on business—you, I presume, come equally often on pleas- ure ?” “It is my first visit,” she said, but he did not ask the reason of that. ‘‘How cold, how indifferent, he is to me!” she remarked to herself. ‘‘No one would ever think even that we had been friends. If he would say something reproachful it would be better than this.” But there was no thought of reproach in him. He ater: to her with a smile. He neither sought her nor avoided her. His conduct was such that she might have been a stranger whom he had met for the first time. Then came the signal for dinner, and Lady Chevenix was a little sur- - prised to find that Felix took down Lady Maude. She went down with the earl, and Sir Owen escorted Lavinia Rolfe. Violet was so placed at the table that she could see and hear all that passed. Never in her life had the beautiful Lady Chevenix felt so surprised. She had always heard Felix spoken of as being clever and gifted, but she had never dreamed that he was really the genius he was. When with her he had sel- comicbooks.com —