His Other Wife: A Novel — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

MR. CROFT'S WARD. Q7 his visitor, He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had not permitted Warren to acknowledge the presence of the ladies, or to speak to his wife; yet he must have observed the keen, direct look that the young man sent into Leda’s face. She, meanwhile, sat helplessly staring at him in a bewilderment of shame, and pain, and horror, at the enormity of her own involvement in the dark meshes of these other lives. ‘I will wait for you in the grove with pleasure, sir, but you will first allow me to offer my congratulations to Mrs. Croft, my felicitations to you both.” With these words he stepped past Mr. Croft, and lightly crossed the intervening space until he stood immediately before Leda, with his fine, shapely hand extended for hers. His face was hard and cold as it was possible for flesh to be, and the clear, white light from his unflinching eye gave a more intense power to features at all times too stern. | As Leda placed her reluctant fingers on Warren’s cool palm all her white face turned scarlet, and she shook with emotion so violent that Warren hastened to release her hand. With a formal bow to the silent figure in black” crepe that stood curiously watching the face of Leda and the visitor, he retired from the piazza, and, at a leisurely gait, took his way to the lake-side. ‘‘Will you have the goodness to walk into the library ?” said Croft to the two women. ‘J will have nothing further to say or do with this per- Eomicbooks: (E(@)