The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 263: what you’re looking at

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

202 REYNOLDS’ WORKS hands, and her entire form was shaken with a low, convulsive sob. Slowly now she removed those hands, and looking up toward the Englishman with such ineffable woe depicted upon her features that it made his very heart bleed to contemplate the spectacle, she said, in the profound voice of despair, “Yes, I will respect your decision.” Clement Redcliffe was about to extend his hand and bid the princess a last farewell, when a thought struck him, and he lingered, but still he knew not how to shape the request which he had to make, for a request 1t was. “Indora,”’ at length he said, ‘‘ I will not ask if it is with a feeling of anger you are about to behold me go forth from your presence, because I know that from all you have been saying, you are no longer capable of experiencing the slightest vindictiveness toward me.”’ “No, Clement Redcliffe,’ she answered, solemnly, but at the same time with a visible effort keeping back an ebulli- tion of the strongest feelings; “ rather than do you an injury, I would lay down my life to serve you.” - The Englishman was profoundly touched by this assur- ance. The reader has seen enough of him to be aware that he was naturally generous-hearted,— indeed of a fine, chivalrous character, notwithstanding that so large a portion of his life had been spent in captivity, and that this circum- stance, as well as others, had tended to sour his mind and warp some of his better feelings. Yes, he was generous- hearted, and the assurance which the unfortunate princess had just given could not fail to touch him profoundly. Besides, he would have been something less or something more than man if he had remained altogether inaccessible to the impression which that fond woman’s devoted love was so well calculated to make, — even though it were a love which he himself could not reciprocate. It therefore cut him to the very soul, it made his heart bleed, it awakened sensibilities which he had fancied crushed, or at least buried in eternal slumber. It staggered the very resolve which had ere now gone forth from his lips. He resumed his seat on the sofa, perhaps a little nearer to the princess than he was placed during all the former part of the interview, and she followed him with her eyes, in which some faint gleam of hope glittered again, but yet so feebly, because she dared not allow herself to entertain it. Gomichbooks (E(0)