Should She Have Left Him? — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

136 SHOULD SHE HAWE LEFT HIM? Dorothy. The birds sang in her heart a cheerful refrain that found an echo in her voice. Weather beaten as I am by time, and the storms it bring® and realizing, as I must, how hollow are the joy‘ ambitions, and pomps of life, yet never could I loo upon that happy face and those shining eyes, lifte with such sublime faith and confidence to Trescott in those days, without a responsive thrill and a sl1J ping back into the old superstition that there wez such things as joy and happiness. Trescotte, toe in those days seemed no less happy, though he ha since confessed to me that there was then the allo- of apprehension. Having little faith in the commos law marriage, which he believed to be a mere sub terfuge to quiet consciences anxious to be quieted he feared that when society returned to the city Dorothy’s real ordeal would be reached. Supportec by the powerful influences of the Courtenay anc Van Allen, the Trescotte and McNish (his mother’s families, together with the approval of the bishop who had dined half a dozen times with. them, he was willing to believe that their social position coulc be made secure. The trouble, in his estimation was the concentration of those powerful interests Divisions and jealousies existed, and there were branches of each family quite ready to rise in revolt against other branches of the same family. Did not the wife of the nephew of Herbert Courtenay dispute the right of Mrs. Courtenay to lead in society! And did she not insist, in view of the fact that he husband was the eldest son of the eldest son, ¢1 CONnIICOO @ cS (GO)