The Argosy — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

Ln the Dead of Night. § 3 am come to-day, Edith, to ask you to keep me by your side through life —never more to let me wander from you.” Edith, in the first shock of her surprise, was too happy to speak. But her a tightened almost imperceptibly on his hand, and her face, resting on his shoulder, where he had placed it, nestled still closer: her silent answer was more eloquent than any words. “Edith, I left you—my letter told you why,” went on Lionel. “ But all through the long dreary time when I was separated from you, my love for you never faltered, never wavered for one single moment. If I had never seen you again in this world, my heart’s last breath would still have been yours. Yesterday I was poor—to-day I am. rich, Once more I can ask you, as I asked you three years ago, to be my wife. Do not tell me that I am asking for more than you can give.” Edith’s faith in Lionel was so full and complete, her love for him so deep-rooted, that she never paused—as many young ladies would have done— before giving him back the affection which had all aiong been his, to demand from him the reason for his apparent desertion of her three years before. In that first flush of new-born happiness it was enough to know that her lover had come back to her: the why and the wherefore of his leaving could be explained afterwards. “You know, Lionel, that my love is yours always—that it has been yours for a long, long time,” said Edith, in accents that trembled a little in spite of herself. ‘‘ But I never received any letter from you after that last one dated from some far-away town in America.” “No letter !”’ exclaimed Lionel. ‘‘ Not one explaining my reasons for releasing you from your engagement P ” “‘ Never a single line, Lionel.” “But I gave the letter into your uncle’s hands,” returned Lionel. *‘ He promised faithfully that he would give it you.” “He did not give it me,” answered Edith. ‘“ Perhaps he kept it back because he thought it better that I should not see it.” ‘He had no right to do anything of the kind,” said Lionel, sternly. “The letter was sacredly entrusted to him, and ought as sacredly to have been delivered to you.” “Lionel, my uncle is no longer with us,” said Edith, gently. “You and I are together again. That redeems all. Let us never say another word about the letter.” “What a villain, what a mean wretch, you must have thought me,” cried Lionel impulsively, “to break off my engagement without assigning you any reason! Without even a single word of explana- tion !” “1 thought you nothing of the kind,” said Edith, with decision. “I knew you too well not to feel sure that you must have good and sufficient reasons for acting as you did. Although you did not tell me what CoOmiclooolkKks (C(O)