Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 384: what you’re looking at

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

demands? You never knew me, and you have yet to learn that that givlish fancy was but @ passing fancy, whieh died almost as soon us it was born—as soon as it felt itself fettered. Let metell you, you never dreamed how much { am capable of; you say I am vain, shallow, ambitious; you imagine that [ am in- capable of deep and true affection; you think [I ean be won by gold. Perhaps [ night, under certain cir- cumstances; you might have won in this game if you had possessed this wealth before the ocean sep- arated us; possibly you might have won, even now, : it the world was @ blank to me, and there was no re of my winning the love that i covet; for, let ine tell you, L have, aé last, learned what love means; let me tell you that I, Helena Stewart, reared in luxury from my earliest infancy, would wea to-night —this hour even—one who is absolutely poor in this world’s goods; that I would give him myself and all I have in return for the affection of his royal heart, and nothing e.se. Now are you answered, Chester Osborn %”’ He turned upon her a face as colorless as her own; adull despair deadened the light in his eyes, the muscles of his face twitched, his broad chest heaved with great throbs of agony, “And you dare to say this to me!’” he said, ina Jow, hoarse voice. “You have driven me to it! she retorted, still more passionately; “you have driven me to @ con- fession that L would have died before making to any one else; but there was no other way to silence you to free myself from your persecutions.” _He staggered back and leaned axainst the mantel. “You imagine yourself ‘free,’ do you x jie Ww his- pered, his voice actually failing him un&d? ae SETA