I Forbid the Banns! — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

280 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” —they represent certain victories of the past; and the faithful men will bear to be regarded as evidences of early triumphs. He wondered if Bertha was inclined to regard Eric Vicars in this light. Whether or not she was so inclined, it was certain that this man Vicars meant that it should be generally under- stood that he was a monument of fidelity, and that Bertha had behaved badly to him. The question that then remained was, did Bertha feel that she had behaved badly to him ? If she did not, why should she betray so great an anxiety to do something for him? Why should she—a refined, intellectual woman—desire to do anything for a common loafer, such as Vicars undoubtedly was?) Why should she desire to see him established in a farm in the neighborhood of the Court ? These inquiries which he put to himself were very dis- quieting. He felt that if he were married to Bertha they would not cause him a moment’s uneasiness ; but however she might regard the bond existing between herself and her husband—as she called him—he felt that it was a very different tie from the marriage bond. It was appalling to reflect that, only a few weeks before, he had been talking about the beauty of a spiritual marriage—a union that was dependent upon no earthly bond, but upon that mystic blending of two souls in one. Bertha had convinced him of the reality of the spiritual marriage, though he remembered how he had held out bravely for the legal ceremony. Why had he not remained steadfast in this matter? He recollected how he had seen Eric Vicars holding Bertha’s two hands in his own. That had caused his resolution to assume another shape. It had caused him to feel that he would be worse than a fool if he were to leave her in the power of such a man as was hold- \ EONMMICLYOOlKS (EC)