The Illegal Marriage — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. OA! “You do not understand us, I fear, Miss Morgan. Did you refuse to take money for your expenses from Colonel Stannard?” “Never. Did he—did Mr. Guerry say that I did?” “Never mind that, Peyton; it is nothing,” Stan- nard interposed. “Cecy, can you doubt? Tell me, if you may do so, what you wish; perhaps I may aid you.” “T wish to have Mr. Martin give Mr. Guerry money enough to take him away. This will be his ruin if he stays.” “Trust it to me, Cecy; I will see that it is done at once. Believe me, Cecy, I will do all that I can for him.” “T believe you; I do—I do—I do,” she sobbed and cried, hysterically, rising and stretching her hand toward him; but choking over the words that she could not utter, fell back into her chair. The excitement of the past few moments, her oreat love, the nobleness of his nature, had*strained her nerves to the utmost, and she sank back faint and exhausted. Mrs. Harris was quickly by her side, and in a few moments she began to revive. “IT am better, thank you,” she said to them. “Good-night, now; I will be ready for you in the morning.” In silence they left the room, and, stroking his mustache with a puzzled air, Stannard went down the stairs, followed by his friend. They paused in the room below, arrested by a bustle in the hall; and amoment later saw two men, in charge of the - constable, entering the room. It was Alfred Guerry and old Hawks. Slouching his hat down over his eyes, Alfred turned away from Stannard, who quicklv stepped aside from motives of delicacy. With feeble steps old Hawks tottered into the room, his emaciated, cadaverous face showing the effect of the suffering he had endured during the past month; while a deep, hollow cough, told all around him that his term of life had almost ended. ne The fatigue of the journey down, debilitated as Eomicbooks (Elo)