FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  
of the situation to her enterprise. "I must! Good-bye! One kiss, I beg!" "But you sha'n't go!" As he came close to her, she clasped him tightly with both arms. She made no attempt to avoid his kiss, and he, taking this for acquiescence, bestowed the kiss upon unresponsive lips. "Now let me go," said he, turning to stride toward the door by which he had entered from the rear chamber. "No, no! Stay. Time to win back my love, you said. Take the time now. You may find me not so difficult of winning back. Nay, I have never ceased to love you, at the bottom of my heart. I love you now. You shall stay." "I must not, I dare not. Oh, I would to God I could believe you! But whether 'tis true, or a device to keep me here, I will not stay. Let me go!" "I will not! You will have to force me from you, first! I tell you I love you--my husband!" "If you love me, you will let me go." "If you love me, you will stay." "Not a moment--though God knows how I love you! I will come to see you soon again." "If you go now, I will never let you see me again!--Nay, you must drag me after you, then!" He was moving toward the door despite her hold; and now he caught her wrists to force open the clasp in which she held him. "Oh! you are crushing my arms!" she cried. "Ay, the beautiful, dear arms--God bless them! But let me go, then!" "I won't! You will have to kill me, first! You shall not spoil my scheme!" "Yours!" "Yes, mine! Mine, against your commander, against your cause!" She was wrought up now to a fury, at the physical force he exerted to release himself; and for the time, swayed by her feelings only, she let policy fly to the winds. "Your cause that I hate, because it ruined my hopes before! You are a fool if you think my being your wife would have kept me from fighting your hateful cause. I became your wife that I might go to England, and when that failed I was yours no longer. Love another? Yes!--and you shall not spoil his work and mine--not unless you kill me!" For a moment his mental anguish, his overwhelming shame for her, unnerved him, and he stared at her with a ghastly face, relaxing his pressure for freedom. But this weakness was followed by a fierce reaction. His countenance darkened, and with one effort, the first into which he had put his real strength, he tore her arms from him. White-faced and breathing fast, with rage and fear of defeat, she ran to a front window, and flung it open.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

moment

 

policy

 

ruined

 

effort

 
defeat
 
strength
 

commander

 

wrought

 

breathing

 

swayed


feelings

 

release

 

physical

 

exerted

 

countenance

 

window

 

freedom

 
mental
 

anguish

 

ghastly


unnerved
 
pressure
 

relaxing

 

overwhelming

 

longer

 

weakness

 

fighting

 
reaction
 

darkened

 

stared


hateful

 
fierce
 

failed

 
England
 

entered

 

chamber

 
stride
 
turning
 

unresponsive

 

difficult


winning

 

ceased

 

bestowed

 

situation

 

enterprise

 

taking

 
acquiescence
 

attempt

 
clasped
 

tightly