Weaker than a Woman — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. 63 “You do not say that I shall be welcome, Miss Haye,” he added, impatiently. She recovered herself. After all she was doing no wrong. “We shall be pleased to see you, Sir Owen,” she told him, with quiet dignity ; and then the baronet, finding there was no chance of further conversation with her, went away. “My darling,” cried Felix, “do not be at home to-morrow when he comes. Ido not like him, Violet—he has a cruel, bad face, and there is an evil ight in his eyes. I do not like him, sweet.” | “T wonder why he has paid me so much attention,” she said, ‘and why he is coming to see us?” But Felix was too wise to answer that question. He only elasped the little hands in his own. To him this girl, in her beauty and innocence, was little less than an angel. “My white dove,” he said—‘my pure, sweet love, never mind him. Promise me that when he or any other man comes to you with flattering words, you will say, ‘Il am pledged to my lover—I am pledged to Felix Lonsdale.’ Will you say that, Violet?” “Yes, I will,” she replied. “Would that I could take you away from them all, and keep you safely under the shelter of my own great love, Violet! You will not be in to-morrow when he comes? Promise me, my darling—do you not see that I am half mad with jealousy ?—promise me you will go out. If I knew that to-morrow he would sit by your side, touch your hand, look into your beautiful face, I think that I should shoot him to-night !” “Oh, Felix, what a dreadful thing to say !”’ “ Jealousy is like fire—it destroys all things,” he said ; “but I am foolish to be jealous. I have all faith in you, sweet—all faith. Say once again, ‘I belong to you, Felix.’ ” The sun shone on her fair face as he raised it to his; the wind stirred the leaves as she said: “T belong to you, Felix.” CHAPTER XIT. * HAPPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD.’’ The fete was over, but people still talked of it—of the unexpected appearance of Sir Owen Chevenix and his ad- miration for beautiful Violet Haye. Violet had said but little at home; she had told her father that the baronet in- - Eomicbooks €o