A Struggle for a Ring — page 312: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE HUSBAND'S PROMISE. — ‘Lady Ethel is very beautiful,” said Ailie. ‘‘She is so lovely and :o graceful that | cannot wonder at any one loving her—and people say—Lady Waldrove says, that the dearest wish of her heart is to see you marry Lady Ethel.” ‘«T cannot help what people say,” he replied, coldly. Dear Heaven! what anguish her simple words caused him-—that was the only desire of his heart, too, but it could never be gratified. “Then,” continued Ailie, ‘‘when people see you to- gether they look at each other and smile.” ‘‘T cannot help that,” he said again. ‘No, perhaps not, exactly. But, Lord Carsdale—oh, do believe me—I am not jealous. The moon might just as well be jealous of the sun as I of Lady Ethel. Who am I, that I should be jealous of her? But it pains me, it hurts me, for I begin to feel quite sure that you will never learn to care for me while she is near.” He made no answer—it was so terribly true. He could find no reply for her. He pulled the sweet-smelling grass up by the roots and flung it away, he played with the fallen leaves, he looked up at the shining stars, but he could find no answer for her. I ‘‘‘There are times,” continued Ailie, ‘‘when she looks so beautiful that I do not wonder at anything—times when you look at her, and I see all your soul shining in your eyes. I wonder if you would have married her had you never met with me?” ‘It is quite useless to speculate on such a subject,” he replied. ‘‘I did meet you, and married you.” ‘“Do tell me, Lord Carsdale,” she said. ‘‘If you do not love me, surely you trust me. Do tell me—would it have been so?” GE oy