Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 216: what you’re looking at

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

208 HER ROYAL LOVER. ~ brutalities, nor his passions, Najeska Ivanowna was now forgetting all her divorced husband’s caprices, and only remembering his good and great quali- ties. Her compassionate soul was suffering with his sufferings. Now, in order to excuse him, the absent, the forsaken, she was seeking to accuse her- self. Notwithstanding his unjust violence, his in- jurious reproaches, with how many devoted atten- tions and tender affections had he not surrounded her? This morose husband had sometimes the solicitudes of a mother. She recollected that during the violent fever which she had on account of the duel in which he had killed H——, he had watched her during twenty days and nights, refusing to in- trust her to other hands and obstinately refused to take either relaxation or repose, as long as his dear love was in danger. Her life, with those of her cherished babies, then unborn, was it not to him that she owed them? How much devotion then! How much kindness! But scarcely had she re- covered, before the suspicions, the jealousies of the preceding life, were resumed in the minutest manner. Yes, he must suffer much, this lion with the pared nails and the filed teeth! Alas! if she was in his place, how unhappy, how desperate she would be. No more to see her dear children! no more, at any hour, at any moment, to clasp to her heart these adored little angels! what anguish! GEomichbooks:. co m