The mystery is all cleared by a few lightning words from her indignant
lips, and her whole figure trembles, as she shrinks within your embrace,
with the thought of that great evil that seemed to shadow you. The
villain has sought by every art to beguile her into appearances which
should compromise her character and so wound her delicacy as to take
away the courage for return; he has even wrought upon her affection for
you as his master-weapon: a skilfully contrived story of some accident
that had befallen you, had wrought upon her--to the sudden and silent
leave of home. But he has failed. At the first suspicion of his falsity,
her dignity and virtue shivered all his malice. She shudders at the bare
thought of that fiendish scheme which has so lately broken on her view.
"Oh, Clarence, Clarence, could you for one moment believe this of me?"
"Dear Madge, forgive me if a dreamy horror did for an instant palsy my
better thought;--it is gone utterly; it will never, never come again!"
And there she leans with her head pillowed on your shoulder, the same
sweet angel that has led you in the way of light, and who is still your
blessing and your pride.
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