A Heart's Bitterness — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

~~ 178 A HEART’S BITTERNESS. _ ‘© Let her come home then, until I inquire into her con- duct. Who knows what it has been?” 2 «TI know, said Edna, sternly. ‘‘I can trace every hour of her disappearance. Her conduct has been that of a poor, lonely, heart-sick, grieved, disappointed, neglected little wife, whose husband has ignored his promise to love and cherish her. You must do better, Norman.” A mad thought seized. Leigh that he could make Violet’s flight an excuse for a divorce, and once free, he could cast himself at the feet of Edna. ‘©T am not to be deceived,” he said. ‘* The honor of the Leighs is at stake; I will defend it.” | «And I will defend your wife!” cried Edna, with wrath. ‘<Tf you continue your neglect and unkindness to her, the world shall know it. Norman Leigh, I take your wife for my sister; her cause is mine; she will have a friend in me, and a friend neither weak nor afraid.” : “Qh, Edna! Edna!” cried Leigh, frantically; ‘‘in calm you are a creature seraphic, in wrath you are magnificent!” “Hush!” said Edna; ‘‘we are not speaking of me, but of Violet. Norman, come here and sit by me in this win- - dow, while I talk to_you. You are showing yourself a man far other than I hoped. You are losing all my respect and my kindness. Will you not come back to your better self? Will you not show a tender and noble manhood? Will you not be worthy of your race?” ‘‘What do you wish me to do?” said Leigh, doggedly; but seizing the opportunity to sit by her side, and hear her garde, deeming them music, even while they condemned im. ‘‘T wish you first to hear your wife’s story,” said Edna. She had no idea of telling what little she knew or guessed of the early love of Keith and Violet; that was sacred to themselves; but she tried to explain to .Leigh Violet’s feel- ings, her disposition—warm, tender, jealous, self-distrust- ful, suspicious, sensitive, easily forgiving, while easily of- _ fended, inexperienced, sweet, innocent, child-like—a crea- ture to cherish, encourage, protect. i She told how Helen Hope had pursued her and beguiled her. : ‘Then it is her own fault,” said Leigh, hotly. ‘I told - her in Paris that she must avoid that woman. If she had - obeyed me, she would have been safe.” (E(0) comicbooks