Beadle's Dime Novels No. 20: Florida; or, The Iron Will — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

AN EXPLANATION DEMANDED. 127 read ictters that were addressed to you thus—‘ My dear hus pand”—but they were not from me. Those letters, the most of them, you burned. One fell within a crevice in the board- ing of the floor—it remains there yet.” The guilty man started back. “ “Your friend was with you,” she continued—* your confi- dential clerk—the man with the red hair.” Speechless with amazement, Le Roy sat of guilty cowardice. “TIow in heayen’s name did you know ?” he cried, aghast. - “ No matter how I knew,” continued Florida. “ This thing must be explained in a satisfactory manner, or we must part. You were not married to his mother.” “Yes, thank God, we were married,” said Le Roy, in a yoice that showed his deep humiliation. “I have not that gin upon my conscience.” «“ And is she living?” cried Florida, her eyes flashing. f “No—no; poor soul! she died, years ago.” _“ And you were unmanly enough to desert her,” exclaimed Florida, in a voice of scorn. “Spare me, Florida, spare me! I left her, but at times managed to keep sight of her, and still supply her wants. O! Florida, I was heartless. But I yearned to that boy when I saw him. I had lost sight of him for five years. But I loved you—believe me, Florida—as I never loved woman before__no, never, God is my witness. I deserve to suffer, however. If the knowledge of this wretched fact steels your heart against me, J must submit. It will be but a just recompense.” A His voice was so utterly heart-broken, that Florida was softened. She had begun to love him before this sad revelan. tion ; her pride, not her heart, condemned him now, for it was better than she had feared. Wickedly as he had done, it had not been what she dreaded above all other things—the knowl- edge that he had deliberately deceived and ruined a helpless woman. He pleaded for forgiveness; his devotion, his humility could not but impress her with the conviction that he repented, and Florida, though grieved to the heart and utterly mortified, consented at last to forgive him. Tt was arranged that Parker should be taken to the cottage, and Z the very picture ~ coimiebowtss.<cing