The Widowed Bride — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

168 THE WIDOWED BRIDE. bud in her hand trembled as if a south wind had stirred its creamy petals. «The truth is,” he said, after a moment’s sifeios: “T am resolved to cut this Gordian knot of perplexity. It is a matter of vital moment to me. Rena, will you think me presumptuous if I tell you how necessary you have become to the happiness of myself?—if I ask you to give that life its crowning grace and charm by becoming my wife?” The carmine went and came on Rena’s cheek, and her eyes glowed with a troubled light. “Ol, Lord Balfour!” she said, im broken accents, as he paused, evidently awaiting her reply, “‘T have not deser ved this honor at your hands,” ‘‘Dear Rena, you deserve a woman’s noblest and Higtiont | place!” he answered, his voice thrilling with the earnestness of his soul. ‘‘I know not how or where I have grown to love you so deeply and passionately, but of this I am quite certain—the strongest instincts of my whole nature have gone out toward you. x ou will be my wife, Rena?” “No, Lord Balfour.’ He looked at her in sort of shocked surprise. Hvidently this answer was the one he had least expected. “Rena, you do not meanit. You are speaking now from some momentary pique, some impulse which is leading you falsely. I will accept no such answer. My beautiful wild rose, my queen, you will give yourself to me!” “Never!” There was no mistaking the emphasis of her tones this time, and to give it additional weight she lifted her eyes and fixed them full upon his face. “Have I then allowed myself to be so misled ?” he ex- claimed, involuntarily clenching his right hand until the nails cut into the palm like so many points of steel. ‘*Well, so let it be. Conceit and mad folly will, sooner or later, find their own level, and I have found mine.” ‘~ cannot allow you to judge yourself thus harshly, Lord Balfour,” said Rena, rousing herself into animation. ‘Upon what other ground can I account for the strange delusion under which I have labored?” he asked, bitterly. ‘“How, otherwise, could I have been insane enough to mmey that you loved me2” _ “It was no fancy,” Rena answered, her eyes fixed on ‘the flower she held. comicbooks:com —