The Illegal Marriage — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

172 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. ing up a rosy-cheeked boy who was clinging to his mother’s skirts, Stannard managed to transfer the note to the little fellow’s pocket, and ran down the stairs. Cecy’s heart was too full for words, and when the jailer’s wife entered, she was sobbing with her face buried in her hands. Rousing herself as the man came in with the furniture, she stood watching it, piece by piece; and it was with a strong effort that she kept back her tears at this evidence of his good- ness to her. Deeply distressed at what he had seen, and heard, and felt, that day, Stannard walked back to his room and tried to think over all that had occurred. To him the last half hour with Cecy had been worse than all; for the sight of her face had reminded him of the love that he must crush from his heart, and her resignation had touched him deeply. “Why should I feel this pain?” he said to himself; “did I not once forfeit all right to happiness in this life? How true it is—the saying that there are no sadder words than ‘it might have been!’” Until the twilight shadows were deepening in his room he sat in reverie, with his cheeks resting upon his hand; and thoughts of his shipwrecked life crowded fast upon his mind. Fora long time he sat there, enduring mortal agony. At length he grew calmer with resignation, and lighting a cigar, went out into the street. The night was lovely. In all parts of the sky the stars shone brilliantly, ighting the town as if by strong moon- light, and bringing out the shadows on the sandy soil in all their varied forms. From the gardens rose the perfume of thousands of flowers, while from the low marshes around came the music of croaking frog's with the sad notes of the whip-poor-will. A tame mocking-bird gave out one sweet strain as Stannard passed the porch in which its cage was hanging, and he paused to listen. The whole air seemed musical and full of sweet odors. He walked on in silence, scarcely knowing or caring whither, and at last found himself opposite GEomicbooks com