"Miss Harvey! This is not worthy of you. If you be innocent, as I
don't doubt, what more do you need--or I?"
He took her hands, and lifted her up: but she still kept looking down,
round, upwards, like a hunted deer, and pleading in words which seemed
sobbed out--as by some poor soul on the rack--between choking spasms
of agony.
"Oh, I don't know,--God help me! O Lord, help me! I will try and find
it--I know I shall find it! only have patience; have patience with me
a little, and I know I shall bring it you; and then--and then you will
forgive?--forgive?"
And she laid her hands upon his arms, and looked up in his face with a
piteous smile of entreaty.
She had never looked so beautiful as at that moment. The devil saw it;
and entered into the heart of Thomas Thurnall. He caught her in his
arms, kissed away her tears, stopped her mouth with kisses. "Yes! I'll
wait--wait for ever, if you will! I'll lose another belt, for such
another look as that!"
She was bewildered for a moment, poor fond wretch, at finding herself
where she would gladly have stayed for ever: but quickly she recovered
her reason.
"Let me go!" she cried, struggling. "This is not right! Let me go,
sir!" and she tried to cover her burning cheeks with her hands.
"I will not, Grace! I love you! I love you, I tell you!"
"You do not, sir!" and she struggled still more fiercely. "Do not
deceive yourself! Me you cannot deceive! Let me go, I say! You could
not demean yourself to love a poor girl like me!"
Utterly losing his head, Tom ran on with passionate words.
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