Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

}and the fear smote him that she would never learn to love him other than as'a brother, He drew himself up and slightly away from her, “But, Hazel, I am not really your brother, you know,” le said, in a constrained tone. A shock went through her, depriving her of her color and her joy. A feeling of shame took posses- sion of her, Had she been hoidenish and unlady-like, forward and rude? And did he feel it needful to reprove her thus for her freedom with him—to make her feel that now she was a young lady grown, and she must not be 80 Willing to bestow ber kisses and caresses upon young ment It was a keen arrow in her soul. She knew he was not her brother, but he had been so good to her always that she loved him like a—yes, she was sure that no sister ever loved a brother more dearly than she loved Percy; then why should she not give expression to that affection? | Then another shock, more terrible than the first, followed, as a sudden light broke in upon ber. Did she love Percy after a sisterly fashion? Had the absorbing, almost idolatrous affection which she possessed for him anything of a fraternal nature about it? No, it was far deeper, tenderer, more sacred; and the revelation, so sudden and startling, almost con- gealed her, and her heart sank like a luinp of lead, as | she thought that perhaps she had unconsciously be- tre ° feos this, and Percy had felt it necessary to restrain and reprove her for it. . Still her pride would not allow her to betray any- thing of this inward struggle, oi hy face Hate Hon age pales while she man- aged to reply quietly, and with an ai ] ili that touched and thoroughly deceived eae ePOBIY