The Argosy — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

Edith Falconer. 155 kept me in your presence only to bring back the old darkness, the old frightful despair.” At last the frivolous heart of the vain and thoughtless coquette seemed to be touched. She turned her head aside, having not a word to answer to the young man’s implied reproaches. “Do you hate me?” he resumed. ‘“ Look at me and tell me the truth. Do you /aze me, that you torment me so ?” “No; it is wrong to hate anyone,” answered Miss Falconer, primly. But the next moment the malicious sparkle died out of her eyes, her face was suffused with soft colour, and her mouth trembled with an emotion all too palpable. Russell was swift to read these signs; and a great light of joy suddenly illumined his countenance. But the next moment his face darkened again, and the hands he was stretching out to meet hers were raised witha gesture, as though to repel. ‘I suppose this is some new coquetry being played off upon me, to make me more hopelessly, degradingly, your slave.” “How you mistrust and malign me,” sighed Edith. ‘“‘T have had a bitter experience to teach me, Miss Falconer.” “Perhaps I too have had a lesson,” said Edith, raising her eyes shyly to his for a moment. Something which he read in that brief glance satisfied Russell. “My darling ! my own darling, at last!” he murmured, in a voice almost choked with the great wave of happiness that was drowning his heart. “When may I speak to your father, Edith?” asked he, after a pause, in which he had felt strongly tempted to defy all the curious souls on the esplanade, and take her into his arms then and there. “There is no hurry, is there ?” answered Edith, a shade of concern drawing over her face. “If he should oppose my suit,” questioned Russell, meeting her expression jealously, “ will you throw me over?” “No; I will be faithful to you for my whole life: only I cannot hastily do anything in violent opposition to my father.” There was a trembling earnestness in the girl’s voice, which might have assured Russell of her truth, but he persisted in his questions. ‘Will you never repent this? Do you not remember the deter- mination with which you cast me away before? You said that I must be mad to pretend to you.” ‘““T think so still,” she answered, with a sweet shamefaced laugh. ‘The only difference is that I find myself to be a fellow lunatic.” “You told me that my income was not enough to furnish you with gloves.” “Did I? And is it the truth?” “That was your estimate of my means.’ “Very well; I will go without gloves. [I have learned that they are not indispensable to life, but—love is,” she added, softly. And CONnRICLOOOKS.EO