The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

100 REYNOLDS’ WORKS salver. The viscount snatched them up in a petulant man- ner, while Stephanie, quickly removing her fair white hands from her face, leaned over her plate to conceal her tears from the lackey. “See how you disgrace me!” ejaculated her husband, when the servant had retired and the gilded door had closed behind him. “ Now I shall acquire the reputation of ill- treating you. That fellow will go amongst the other servants and say how he found you in tears.”’ ‘“ Forgive me, Jules, pray forgive me, my dearest husband. I see that I am always in the wrong — ”’ ‘There you are again, with your reproaches,” interrupted the viscount. ‘‘ You mean me to understand that I am in the wrong, that I treat you cruelly — ”’ “Good heavens! ’’ murmured the unfortunate viscount- ess, now wringing her hands in despair, ‘‘ what am I to do, what am I to say, to convince you that I had no such inten- tion? Ah, Jules, if you could only read my heart, as God now reads it.” ‘* Positively, Stephanie,’ ejaculated the viscount, starting up angrily from his seat, ‘‘ this scene is becoming wearisome to a degree. If we were still lovers, it would be bad enough, but from a wife to her husband, it is really intolerable. I must beg and beseech that you will not give way to these susts of temper.”’ “Temper? ’’ she echoed, as if a new light had broken in upon her, thus suddenly making her aware that her temper was a bad one, an assurance which she was fully prepared to take on the mere word of her husband, and to adopt the fault as sincerely and contritely as if the imputation were perfectly correct. ‘Yes, temper!’ he answered, somewhat fiercely, for on his side the impression was that his wife had echoed the word in a spirit of indignant repudiation. ‘‘ I said temper, and since it has come to this, | may as well be candid with you at once. Now, look you, Stephanie,’’ he continued, and we must do him the justice to add that he did not at the moment perceive how his unfortunate spouse was re- garding him with mingled affright and dismay, — “ look you, Stephanie. I am getting thoroughly wearied of these scenes; they are repeated too often. Always tears, or else implied upbraidings, and then a perfect storm of lavished — (E(0) CONNIE NO KS