The Argosy — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

230 A Story of the Sea-shore. —whether he was blind to it, or whether he gave in to it, they did not know—walked about like a man whose heart was broken, and looked dazed, Serena sat alone when her father entered; she was stitching a wristband for one of his homely coloured shirts, and humming a love tune to her own heart. “Girl!” he exclaimed, so hoarsely that she did not know his voice, and she started in terror at his stern white face. ‘Girl, I have heard it all! Your name is being bandied about the market- place, and my eyes are opened. Fool that I have been !—ever to let that wolf from the black and evil world enter my fold! Oh, you may stand and stare, you deceitful girl; the blood of your mother runs riot in your veins; you are false to the core of your heart! Pledged to Thomas Reece, you are suffering the insidious attentions of another, and are become a town’s talk.” “Father!” she gasped in faint accents, bewildered with the accusations, ‘‘ father . ‘Be silent,’ he sternly interrupted. And there and then, in his deep excitement, he poured forth to her the history of the past = of her mother’s treachery and his own wrongs: which had been so long withheld from her. ‘And you,” he wound up, his voice broken with bis than which nothing can be more sad to the human ear, ‘‘you whom I have striven so to shield from the world, from the knowledge of sin and evil, you to turn out at last like /Aer—deceitful, false! I wish Heaven had taken me before I lived to see it!” ‘Father, hush!” cried Serena, in solemn tones, while her face was rigid as death. ‘‘ You must not judge me so harshly; there is- no cause fortit. I have done nothing to merit yourcensure. I do love Ernest Loraine, he and my own heart have taught me what love is ; I have walked with him on the beach, been with him on the sea, Peter Janes rowing us; but he has never spoken a word of love to . me; never one word that you might not hear. He has been a courteous companion to me, a pleasant friend; nothing more; and, though I have learned to love hin, the fault lies not with him, but with my own weak heart is She broke down with emotion. Her father, his stern brows bent upon her, never spoke. ‘‘T do not forget that I am betrothed to Thomas Reece,” con- tinued Serena, ‘‘I promised to be his wife, and I will keep my promise, and be true to him. This has been a delightful dream, and I could not help yielding to it: but it is over. Father, you need not doubt me ; though I have, as you have just told me, my mother’s face, I can yet be faithful to the man I accepted for my husband— and I will be.” He heaved a great sobbing sigh of relief. ‘‘ You zz//, Serena?” “*T will, father; heaven helping me.” Gomicbooks