The Illegal Marriage — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. 145 “It is her innocence that speaks,” thought Stan- nard; “she has not an evil thought.” The reflection made his task still harder, and he hesitated to speak of that terrible verdict. Once more she took his hand. : “Though a woman, William, I am no coward. Do not fear to tell me anything that you think I ought to know.” “Cecy,” he began at last, his voice shaking with emotion, “do you remember your father’s last words?” | “T don’t think that Ido; at least I cannot.recall them now. I remember that he said something which frightened me.” Not yet had memory returned to her so that she could recall the events of that night. | “Try to think, Cecy,” he said, kindly; “do you not remember that he said vou had killed him?” “Did he say that?” she asked, quickly. “I don’t remember—my mind was very much confused.” She sighed deeply, and musingly continued: “Poor papa, he thought that I did not do right— but Heaven knows I did try to.” “Heavens!” thought Stannard, “to think this pure, this innocent girl is accused of murder. It makes me a coward to speak to her of the charge.” “T know you did—I am sure you did, Cecy,” he said to her; “but did you never think how his words might affect others?” “Never. I did not know of them until this mo- ment.” Her voice faltered as she said it, for already a olimmer of the truth was breaking on her mind, _ “Do they say that I—that I was the cause of his death?” “Worse than that—Cecy, they say you killed him.” He had said it at last, but sat trembling before her. Springing to her feet, scattering the work upon the floor, she clasped her hands upon her bosom. “Oh, how could they! How could they think so GComicboo “cS (eo)