His Other Wife: A Novel — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

A SISTER OF CHARITY. 149 Whether the tenderness of his tone roused her resentful jealousy, or that she felt reproached by Faith’s delicate and constant attention for her own lack of the refined senti- ment that prompted the girl to send these fragrant and lovely messengers into the sick man’s darkened chamber, Leda felt her whole being flush with chagrin and mortifi- cation. She said, softly, and casting down her eyes: _ **T have so envied her the privileged freedom that per- mitted Aer to do what I dared not.” Warren made no reply, but glanced uneasily round to see the effect of Leda’s words upon his mother; but the old lady had just a moment previously left the room, which Leda had “seen and taken advantage of. She added : ) ‘But you see, I have brought myse/f to you at the earliest possible moment. Mr. Croft escorted me to the gate, and is to call for me on his way back to Lucerne in an hour.” | ‘‘You have some books with you?” he said, reaching his hand for one of the volumes that lay on her lap. ‘‘Yes, and will put my eyes and voice at your disposal, if you wish. I am a tolerable elocutionist, you know; and I fancied you might be too weak to read yet awhile.” _‘*Thank you very much for thinking of it; but I will ' not tax you.” ‘‘Do you, then, wish to deny me so small a pleasure? Heaven knows I have not so many,” | She looked bitterly hurt as she said it, and Warren's Comicbooks: (E(@) 25