Ainslee's Magazine, February 1913 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

THE POINT OF VIEW hope, find me so _ incomprehensible then.” He walked about the room once or twice, and at last paused close in front of her. “Stella,” he whispered, while his eyes blazed again, “I cannot bear it, little sweetheart, to stay all alone with you here. Will you forgive me if I leave you until Anastasia has arrived? Go and rest in your room, darling, and I will go to the station to meet her. Ivan will remain outside your door, and you will be quite safe.” But Stella put out her hands like a frightened baby. “Oh, must you leave me?” she cried pettishly. “You are very cruel—you make me almost wish I had not come.” From having swum with love and passion, his eyes suddenly gave forth a flash of steel, and his voice was like ice as he answered: “If that is so, mademoiselle, it is not too late. 1 would not exact any un- willing sacrifice. Shall I take you back again?” And then Stella’s childishness melted and fell from her, and she became a real woman as she looked into his stern face. “No,” she said, “I will not go back; I am sorry I was so uncontrolled, but I am nervous, and I do not know ex- actly what I am—Sasha—please take care of me!” And she held out her hands with a piteous gesture of asking for his protection, and, moved beyond all power of further control, he folded her in his arms. “My darling, my darling!” he mur- mured, frantically kissing her hair. But his iron will reasserted itself in a few seconds, and, while he still held her, he said with more calm: “Little star, you must never speak to me like that again—as you did just now, | mean. It was unreasonable and not kind—if you but knew. And I have a very arrogant temper, I fear, although I am nearly master of it, and shall be quite in time, I hope. We might have parted then, and spoiled both our lives. Won’t you believe me that I love—I adore—you?” he went on tenderly. “TI 37 am madly longing to be for you the most passionate lover a woman ever had. It is only-for your sake and for honor and our future happiness that I restrain myself now. You see, I am not an Englishman, who can accept half measures. Do not make it impossible for me, sweet love!” His voice was almost a sob in its deep notes of pleading, and Stella was touched. “Oh, you are so dear and great!” she answered fondly. “I am perhaps very wicked to have tempted you—if it would be wrong for you to kiss me, which I cannot understand. It is— oh, it is because I love you like that, too!” And at this ingenuous admission pas- sion nearly overcame him again, and he held her so tightly it seemed as if he must crush out her very breath. Then he put her from him, and walked toward the door. “T dare not stay another second,” he said, in a strangled voice. “Ivan will guard your room, and my sister will come to you soon. Do as [ tell you, beloved one, and then all will be well.” With which he opened the door and left her standing by the sofa, quiver- ing with a strange joy and perplexity— and some other wild emotion of which she had not dreamed. CHAPTER IX. It seemed an endless time, the hour that she waited in her room, and then a knock came at the door, and Ivan’s voice saying his master desired her presence in the sitting room at once, and she hurriedly went there, to find Count Roumovski standing by the man- telpiece, looking rather grave. “Stella,” he said, “there has been an accident to the train my sister was to have arrived by; it is not serious, but she cannot be here now until the early morning perhaps, unless I send the au- tomobile to Viterbo for her. The line is blocked by a broken-down goods train which caused the disaster.” He paused a moment, and Stella said “Well?” rather anxiously. (C@ OOK (C@