His Other Wife: A Novel — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

128 A MORTAL COMBA y (2 ‘“No; I doubt if I am particularly sensitive, but it makes me nervous to have my threads interfered with.” ‘‘ Are you quite sure ¢hat is what you object to?” asked Vernois, his bold black eyes emitting a wicked, teasing expression, that called the swift blood to Faith’s delicate cheek, -He knew perfectly that it was the freedom of the action, and the unavoidable contact of her slender, busy fingers with his intruding hand among her wools, that displeased the girl. Julian Vernois belonged to that class of social iconoclasts that make it their mission to instruct the sweet unwisdom of the innocent fledglings that modern mothers send forth, unguided, into the vortex of fashionable life, for any rude hand that wills to brush the original bloom from the delicate surface of womanhood. It gave hima fresh and intense delight to call the crimson flush to the pure, childish face of Faith Hilary—to kindle in her dreamful eyes the unrestful glow of embarrassment, by such equivocal speeches as that he had just uttered, or by dropping into the pellucid depths of her calm soul some word of fervid compliment that would stir the slumbrous waves and break the rapt repose of her untried nature. Faith made no direct answer to his question, but said, as she lowered her face to escape the dark glow of his Eastern eyes that confused her, almost painfully : ‘Why do you like to worry me by doing things that you know I dislike?” A smile, ever so faint and fleet, crossed the soft, woman- Eomicbooks: (E(@) =|