Weaker than a Woman — page 255: what you’re looking at

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

946 : WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. him for a moment, for she read in his face that he longed | to say something to her. She never forgot the few words that he did say. She laid her hand in his for a second; he bent down and kissed it, with tears in his eyes. “How am I to thank you, Lady Maude,” he said, “for all that you have done forme? You came to me in the dark- est moment of my life, and I owe to you, after Heaven, all that Iam. How must I thank you 2” She looked up with a smile into the handsome face that was full of emotion. ~ You can thank me best,” she replied, “by being, as the story books say, good and happy now and henceforward.” “I will try,” he said, “and no one, Lady Maude, says ‘Heaven bless you! a more fervently than I do—lI, whom you saved from ruin.’ As they drove down the long avenue, amid cheers and shouts and good wishes that were enough to deafen them, Major Rawson turned with a smile on his lips to his wife. “I did not know that you had such a royal dowry, Maude.” ‘What dowry do you mean?” she asked. “The dowry of blessings from young and old, rich and poor. What have you done to make all these people love you so?” She raised her eyes to his. ‘*T have done nothing but my dates she replied. “Then you have done it with grace and sweetness,” he said. “Teach me to do mine as well. If I could hear as many blessings follow me as follow you I should be happy.” “Are you not happy now?” she asked, with a charming smile. His answer was prompt and decisive. Knowing Miss Lester’s secret predilection for hearing news that she was too proud to seek, Felix went over to the Outlands a few days afterward. He had not seen Eve lately, and was anxious about her. He had heard Kate say that she was not looking well—that she had. grown thin and pale, and seemed to have lost some of her old bright spirit; and those few words had made Felix anx- ious. Finding one evening that he had an hour’s leisure he thought that he could not do better than devote it to her. Miss Lester was looking a little more cross and impa- tient than usual when the young lawyer greeted her, and he asked what was the matter. “I am not pleased about the corn,” she briefly replied. “Iam sorry to hear it. What is the matter with it?” Eomicbooks (ee)