A Struggle for a Ring — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

A STRANGE PARTING. 167 fain have returned the checks, and have bidden him take his money and his insolence elsewhere. At last he had said all that he had to say, and he rose with a sigh of unutterable relief He held out his hand to the dancing- master, and shuddered at the grasp given to him in return; he shuddered at Frank’s languid affectation, at Mrs. Der- went’s tears. ‘‘Tt seems hard for Alice, sir, to be left in this way,” said the mother; and Lord Carsdale shuddered again at the words. What difference could it possibly make to Alice whether he remained in England or went away from it? 4 Every one in that room thought and believed that he had said farewell to Alice, that his lingering after she had quitted the room was but a way of showing a kindly, patronizing feeling toward them. No one, when he rose and made his indifferent adieu—no one for 2 moment thought he was leaving without a word to his wife; no one dreamed but that the last sad farewell words had been spoken between them; so that her name was not even mentioned, and the door of the little house closed upon Vivian, Lord Carsdale, amid a shower of good wishes and comments. He knew that he had seen Alice, he did not know that he had not even touched her hand in farewell; he never even dreamed that she was waiting in a passion of fear, and sorrow, and despair, to say good-by to him. Perhaps if he had seen the picture, the little room, the fair young girl in the keen passion of her sorrow, the slender figure swaying to and fro as a leaf sways in the winds, the white hands clasped and unclasped, wrung in anguish, folded in prayer, the fair, sad face, the eyes drowned in tears, the lips quivering with sighs—perhaps had he seen that, his heart might have reproached him for the neglect (E(0) nA) (C JOO CS C. @)