Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

mured, tremulously. “I haveno money of my own— ohne has all been spent upon my education and— an IS 2 “Well? he questioned, gloomily, as she faltered and stopped. “T should need things; there would be personal ex- peuses now and then, and [ could not ask you—I could not ask any one for money.” “You should not, Hazel; [I will settle an income upon you—the same amount as this woman offers you. and you need never ask me for a penny,” he said, bending eagerly toward her, his face lighting as he thought how easily this difficulty might be overcome. p dis if he had only told her the truth ! if he had only said : ‘‘Hazel, I love you. I have loved you for years. Come and be my wife, and thus make my houne the brightest spot on earth to me,” how willingly she would have laid her hand in his and gone to him. But he did not dare to say this then. He told himself that she was still too young, that she could kuow nothing of suchlove as he felt for her, that her mind had been filled simply with books and study, and she was too innocent to have any thought of marriage as yet. He had planned to win her gradually when he could have her all to himself; to lead her by degrees to comprebend the absorbing passion that would darken all bis future if he must lose her. She made a little gesture of dissent at his proposal to settle a sum upon her. “That would amount to the same thing, Percy. You are very kind to think of it, but I could never spend & pom of it without feeling uncomfortabl shie