The Widowed Bride — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. uth Sais [0 His face grew strangely bright. “Rena, my heart’s darling, you do love me, then?” “Ves, % she replied, in strange, hard accents which con- trastedd singularly with the thrilling tenderness of his; ‘‘but I never can marry you.” “Why not?” ie had rather you would not press me for reasons, Lord Balfour.’ But, Rena, after what you have already confided to me it becomes my right to question you further. You love me, yet you will not marry me. What strange riddle is this?” ‘It is because I love you that I will not marry you?” she eried, vehemently. ‘‘Oh, Lord Balfour, do vou think it has cost me nothing to decide upon this ? Do you suppose lam sacrificing my life and my life’s happiness upon the altar of a mere idle whim?” He looked at her earnestly. “Your lauguage grows more and more inexplicable to me,” he said. ‘You are almost tempted to think me mad!” she cried, springing to her feet and throwing the curls back from her forehead with a short laugh. ‘‘But Tam not mad, Lord ~ Balfour—any jury of physicians could tell you that, unless people go mad with the dull, aching pain at their hearts.” He arose, and advancing toward her, took both her hands in his. “Rena, you shall tell me why- you will not become my wife!” “Because you are the Marquis of Balfour, descended from a long line of unsullied ancestry, and I am only poor little Rena Percival, with scarcely the heritage of a name. Do you think I will drag you down with me?” ‘But, Rena, my jewel, my priceless pearl among women,’ he murmured, tenderly, ‘‘I love you; and love knows no out- ward ranks nor distinctions.” ‘‘And- because you are generous enough to forget the wide gulf of caste that separates us, do not think I can be so base ~ as to let you throw yourself away on me? No, Lord Balfour, Iam not ashamed to own that I love you as truly as ever will the high-born woman who is one day destined to be the Marchioness of Balfour, but I never shall be to you any more than I am now.’ He gazed into her cheery, sparkling eyes with new admir- Comicbooks:co