Weaker than a Woman — page 267: what you’re looking at

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

258 WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. the dead man’s spoils in her hand. She came to me bright with jewels, radiant with the magnificence his wealth had provided for her—the wealth for which she left me. She held out her hands to me laden with his treasures; she brought to me the spoils her perfidy and falsehood had won for her. I should be less than a man if I shared those spoils wth her—should I not, Violet? When you left me, and men laughed because you had left-me for money, my very sorrow had a dignity init. What should I be now, even in your eyes, if I took you back to my heart with the same money that your falsehood had won? I should be less than a man.” ‘IT cannot understand you,” she said, piteously. In his passion he seemed to rise to a height which that weak soul could not reach, but the pitiful, pleading voice touched him and made him gentle again. He looked down into the lovely face. “Violet, you will understand this. Suppose that when you loved me most I had left: you and had married a rich woman—a woman whom I did not love, but married solely because she was rich—that she died after a few years, and I came back to you with her money in my hands, and asked you to share it—would you do so?” } “Yes, I think I should, Felix.” “Perhaps I might have expected such an answer from you. I would not act in such a fashion. I should be less than a man now.to take dead Sir Owen’s gold, and with it ou.”’ She looked at him with a half bewildered air, yet still seemed to think that she could persuade and soften him by sweet words. ‘“T have been so unhappy without you, Felix,” she mur- mured. ‘“ Youdo not know all; it seemed to me as though I had lost the half of my soul when I lost you—it is not wrong to say so to you now. I was very unhappy, Felix. I found out soon afterward that I could never be happy without you.” He made no answer, and she took courage. She laid her face on his arm. The waves of golden hair fell over his hands. ‘Do forgive me, Felix,” she said. ‘“I was so young, and so thoughtless. I did not understand.” So she knelt, while the firelight played over her, and the © face of Felix Lonsdale was turned from her. ‘“T am sorry for it all, Felix,” the sweet voice went on— “so very sorry. You see, dear, there were great excuses comicbooks co}