Should She Have Left Him? — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

A BEWILDERED FATHER. YW | from Trescotte, she was led into the error of believe ing that therefore the presence of her father in that house, that is, the home of Trescotte and her- self, was in a measure approval of her course. “ You have heard all the story, then?” she asked. “I have just come from Mr. Magrane,” her father replied. ‘‘ My dear girl, my heart bleeds for you. Had I only made an investigation! I blame myself so.” Dorothy checked him before he could say more. “No,” she protested. ‘Do not blame yourself. No one is to blame—no one at all can be blamed.” “Not even Trescotter”’ exclaimed the old gentle. man, surprised, for he had expected condemnation of him from her. “ No; not my husband—he, least of all.” ‘‘You are very generous, my dear!” There was the suggestion of a sneer in his tone, but faint as it was Dorothy caught it. “ Not at all,’ she replied with increased spirit. : “ Harry has acted most honorably and uprightly. Why should he be blamed? He was _ himself deceived, and he made no attempt to deceive us, or to conceal anything from us. Everybody who knew anything of the affair believed as he did—that the previous marriage was no marriage.” Mr. Courtenay was bewildered. Dorothy seemed to be more anxious to defend Trescotte from impu. tation than to bemoan her own fate. In fact, to all outward appearances, she was not sorrowing at all. She really seemed to be happy, cheerful, and CONnIICOO @ cS (GO)