April's Lady; A Novel

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1891 edition. Excerpt: ...her tightly. You meant something just now, when you refused to take my hand. But what? What? You said it was too late, replies he. And I--agreed with you. That was not it! says she feverishly. There was more--much more! Tell me,--passionately-- what you meant. Why would you not touch me? What am I to understand? That from henceforth you are free from the persecution of my love, says Dysart deliberately. I was mad ever to hope that you could care for me--still, I did hope. That has been my undoing. But now Well? demands she faintly. Her whole being seems stunned. Something of all this she had anticipated, but the reality is far worse than any anticipation had been. She had seen him in her thoughts, angry, indignant, miserable, but that he should thus coldly set her aside--bid her an everlasting adieu--be able to make up his mind deliberately to forget her--this had never occurred to her as being even probable. Now you are to understand that the idiotic farce played between us two the day before yesterday is at an end. The curtain is down. It is over. It was a failure--neither you, nor I, nor the public will ever hear of it again. Is this--because I did not come home last evening in the rain and storm? Some small spark of courage has come back to her now, she lifts her head and looks at him. Oh! be honest with me here, in our last hour together, cries he vehemently. You have cheated me all through--be true to yourself for once. Why pretend it is my fault that we part? Yesterday I implored you not to go for that drive with him, and yet--you went. What was I--or my love for you in comparison with a few...