FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72  
73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>   >|  
.' She thought I was mad, and rose on the impulse to summon help. 'Do not stir a step,' I said, aiming a pistol at her, 'or it will be your last.' She stopped, without exhibiting the least symptom of fear, but simply because she saw that to proceed would be useless. 'Ha! ha! Evelyn,' said I, forcing an imitation of incoherent laughter, 'I am but trifling with you. I am not mad. I sought but to rouse some passion in you--either of fear or of anger. But, alas! I have not sufficient power over you even for that. Sit down. I have something to relate. When I have ended, these pistols may be useful for one or both of us. But you do not fear them. I have long known that life was too valueless to you for fear of losing it to make any impression.' She saw that something unusual was impending--what she did not fully understand, but calmly took her seat to await it. At this moment a servant knocked and entered with a letter. I mechanically opened it and read. It was an announcement from my partners that my inattention to the business had involved us all in ruin. The clerk to whom I had entrusted it (the sporting character before mentioned) had defaulted and fled. He had contracted large debts in the name of the firm, and gambled away all the accessible funds. The ruin was supposed to be irretrievable, and with many bitter reproaches I was summoned to return with speed to extricate affairs, and--make such reparation as I could. The letter filled me with almost demoniacal joy. I was ruined, and for her sake. I gloated over the thought. 'These weapons will now be useless,' said I. 'Place them on the shelf beside you. This letter will answer in their stead.' She obeyed me, and I then related the information I had received. 'This ruin comes upon me through you.' She thought I was about to make a vulgar complaint of extravagance, and for once flushed with anger. 'Remain entirely quiet,' I said. 'Hear me, but do not interrupt by word or gesture. You do not yet understand me.' Then I entered on all the particulars of my life; recounted my passion for her; told how in my mad infatuation I had bargained for her; how in my selfish exultation I had assumed all the freedoms of love, never stopping to question my right to exercise them; how I was aroused from my stupid content by accidentally witnessing her interview with Frank. I related the feelings this excited within me; how for the first time I learned the miserable and con
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72  
73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

letter

 

thought

 

passion

 

understand

 
entered
 

related

 

useless

 

demoniacal

 

ruined

 

feelings


accidentally
 

excited

 
weapons
 
interview
 

filled

 

gloated

 
witnessing
 

bitter

 
reproaches
 
summoned

irretrievable

 

supposed

 

accessible

 

return

 
learned
 
reparation
 

answer

 

miserable

 

extricate

 

affairs


obeyed

 
gesture
 

gambled

 

interrupt

 

stopping

 
exultation
 

selfish

 

bargained

 
recounted
 

particulars


freedoms

 

assumed

 

Remain

 
information
 

received

 

aroused

 

stupid

 

content

 

infatuation

 

complaint