The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

272 REYNOLDS’ WORKS and mystic transfusion of souls, taking place by some unknown and ineffable agency, a blending of the spirits such as no gross passion can know and no common nature experience, an interchange of silent whisperings from heart to heart, the whole passing all human understanding? If the reader can comprehend all this, he will not be surprised that a being so pure and chaste in thought, so stainless and immaculate in soul, so innocent and unsophis- ticated in all the artifices of the world, so etherealized, in short, not merely above that patrician sphere to which she belonged, but also above humanity itself, there is no need for wonder, we repeat, that such a being as Florina Staunton should have fathomed the secret of William Deveril’s heart. But let us continue the thread of our narrative. She had started and she had blushed as he spoke with such sudden warmth, and yet 1t was a warmth intelligible only to herself, and which would have had nothing significantly perceptible ior any common observer had others been present in the room. And Deveril saw that she had started and that she had blushed, saw likewise that her suddenly excited emotions had left a thrilling quivering behind, and that as she took up the camel’s-hair pencil in her fair fingers it trembled as if the hand that held it were an aspen leaf. ‘Then, in the confusion into which his own feelings were suddenly thrown by the incident, he endeavoured to stammer out some excuse, 1n which attempt his confusion only grew worse confounded. ‘| beg your ladyship’s pardon —I spoke vehemently — hurriedly — but — but — your ladyship is aware I did not speak disrespectfully — ”’ ‘“ Disrespectfully? Oh, no, Mr. Deveril,’’ she exclaimed, “Tl know you are incapable of that! ’’ and as she thus spoke, Florina raised her clear deep blue eyes to her preceptor’s countenance. , ‘J thank your ladyship for that assurance,” he said, in the low, tremulous tone which indicates feelings proudly moved, and which are almost too full to be restrained, — feelings which while thus threatening to obtain the mastery appear as if they must burst forth in a gush of passionate and tender avowals to the idol of adoration. “ What I meant was that I am at all times ready to devote myself so CONNIE NOOO KS (E(0)