A Struggle for a Ring — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

114 A MOTHER'S STRATAGEM. yet, looking in the fair, noble face, something in it drew his heart to her—there was a look in the eyes~ as though they held a secret in common, a look in the face as though they never could be strangers. ‘¢T am sure I could win her,” he said; ‘‘no matter what the countess thinks, I could win her. Proud, noble, frank, fearless, refined—I understand her, even from look- ing at her face.” _ Then he stopped abruptly. How foolish he was! What was he thinking about? How could he win her? He was married himself—married to a dancing-master’s daugh- ter—a beautiful, untaught girl, who could never bea wife to him—a girl whose name he dared not mention within the walls of his stately home. He found refuge in his old comfort—it was for honor’s sake. He looked at the face again. ‘‘She would understand,” he thought; ‘‘she would understand anything done for honor’s sake.” Then he found himself wishing that Lady Ethel Pier- pont had been in Alice Derwent’s place—wishing that some circumstances had compelled him to marry the young patrician whose face haunted him. ‘¢ ¢ What care I how fair she be, If she be not fair for me?’ ”’ he whispered, but the words did not seem to give him much comfort. He almost wished that he had taken his mother’s advice, and had not looked at the picture. , Of course it was only love for art; no one could imagine that he would be so foolish as to fall in love with a picture. comicboo €o ‘S