The actor whispered to Jane Crabtree, nervously:
"Has she consented?"
"No—although I've half-killed her tryin' to break her will."
Curses, low and deep, breathed over his lips; then he said:
"Well, we won't go up stairs to see her yet. We're half-frozen with this beastly cold, anyway, so we'll thaw out over the fire and a bottle of wine."
[CHAPTER LIX.]
WEDDED TO HER CHOICE.
"'Oh, darling', she said, and the whispered words
In a dreamy cadence fall,
'Can I help but choose thee who art the best
And the noblest among them all * * *
And since in thine eyes I shyly read
That thy thoughts hold a place for me—
I bring thee a love, and a heart, and a life,
And consecrate all to thee!'"
They drew up their chairs to the glowing kitchen fire, smoked, drank, and even played a game of cards, for now that the final moment had arrived, the villain's nerve began to fail him, and he began to realize his crime in all its enormity.