Should She Have Left Him? — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

- 362 SHOULD SHE HAVE LEFT HIM? made, was promptly confirmed by the court. Society, though it knew that Hilda had left her hus- band and was domiciled with the Trescotte’s, was only made aware of divorce proceedings when the decree was entered and Hilda was freed from her bonds. As it knew nothing of the Buttontrave epi- sode, and had heard of La Hoyle, it became the fashion to sympathize with Hilda and denounce Waldemar. During all this time Hilda, as she had promised, had written to Buttontrave by every mail. She had told him in the series of letters what she had under- taken, and what success the effort was making; she had frankly told him that when put to the test of sacrificing her own self-respect, in flying with him, she had recoiled, for she had realized that she had been driven to the thought of so reckless an act as much by the misery of her life as by reason of her love for him; she pledged him her undying affec- tion, and assured him that it grew as the days of their separation grew; then she became practical and formative, for she told him that his own love was going to the test; that if he, as he vowed, held it steadfast and true, he would, when she was free, seek her in honorable marriage; but if, as he applied this test, he found that his love was not strong enough for that course, it were better to forget her and his unworthy passion for her, and devote him- self to the career which to win distinction in was his ambition. Of course I am aware that this is quite the reverse GOMMGIOO cS (GO)