Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

HER ROYAL LOVER. 71 Where is he? What fantastic dream bears him to the realms of the unknown? Twice he believes to hear his name... This phrase has re-echoed near him: “Boris—Boris Michailowitch!—are you asleep? I am afraid—the steps of a man have resounded in the garden—lI pray you, awake!” His hearing, although acute, perceives nothing— the murmurs of the wind, playing in the window- curtains, is all that he hears. “My God! my God! if I could awaken him! But, no! he is as if thunderstruck. I tremble! What will become of me?” These words, wailed by a voice wrung with terror, these deep sobs, painfully escaping from a wounded heart, do not get beyond his physical sensations, do not reach his intelligence. Inert, the body stupefied, he lays stretched out, in an immovable leaden sleep. A minute passes, a sigh yet again floats trembling, fearful!—the steps retrace again the road which they have already followed; they withdraw—noth- ing more! | Although annihilated by the opiate, Mineleko, without rendering any good account to himself, vaguely asks himself if the voice which he has per- ceived is real, or whether he is under the influence of an halucination. “Where is he?—what has taken place?” Gradually the conception of life is completely extinguished. The anesthetic effect of the chloro- form makes itself felt more and more; his brain grows dull, his eyelids close, his ideas become con- fused—he no longer thinks—he sleeps profoundly. But, however, by a will stronger than nature, his (E(0) mm C JOO KS (E(0)