A Struggle for a Ring — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

LOVE AND REGRET. 143 ‘“We are not likely to quarrel, Lord Carsdale; you have said nothing to offend me.” ‘*‘Then why do you call men stupid?” he asked. ‘‘Qh, because they are so,” she replied. ‘‘And now, Lord Carsdale, the last gleam of light has died cn the waters ; we must go home.” CHAPTER XX. LOVE AND REGRET. ‘‘Good-by, Lady Ethel,” said the young lord, as he held out his hand to her in farewell. ‘‘ We will say good- by here; before others [ could not say it.” His face paled, his lips quivered, his voice was full of pain; he saw the expression of wonder in her face—an expression that asked: ‘‘If you feel leaving me so acutely, why go?” Her eyes asked the question as plainly as eyes could speak, and he read it there. ‘‘It cannot matter much where we say good-by,” she said ; ‘‘it means about the same thing in every case.” How he longed to stand still just where they were, on the shore of that star-lit sea, and tell her the story of his life—tell her of the rash, hot-headed impulse that had led him to marriage—the impulse that he had believed so firmly to be honor. How he longed to tell: her that this wife of his was beautiful and good, yet that while he lived he could not do more than like her; but for her, the woman he loved but could never marry, he had a wild, passionate worship that would end only with his life. He Gomic JOO Ss (eo) }