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Article THE PURITAN'S SISTER. ← Page 6 of 13 →
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The Puritan's Sister.
' * ' Seducer !'' echoed William , " liar!—Did not this roof , which is another ' s , and the presence of an angel , screen thee , my sword should write my innocence in thy black blood—seducer ! Grace , Edward , can ¦ you credit the slander of this fanatic ?" - " J" thundered the puritan , " my lips breathe not the words my Weapon fears to defend : —but this is not the hour or spot to punish thy
presumption—even from thine own lips will I judge thee . Grace , answer me with truth—me , the brother of her who bore thee in her womb —who hath danced thee on his knee—who taught thy infant lips their first prayer—who was the prop and guardian of thy infant years , hath tMs galliard , this tinsel tvorsMpper of the world , ever spoken to thee of love ?"
" He hath , " answered Grace , blushing , and casting her eyes upon the ground : but it was honourable suit he urged ; he never proffered aught than maiden innocence and virtue warrant . " Richard and Edward started : surprise was painted on the counntenance of the former , doubt on that of Edward . . ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ' \ " Virtue and maiden modesty ! " echoed Saul : " snares—springes for the soul ! He knew that thy pure nature would have recoiled from vice in its true shape , so artfully he veiled his purposes . Hath he spoken
to thee of marriage ?" " No . " " Hath he disclosed his love to thy brother ?" " No . " " Nay , hath he not even urged concealment of his passion ? You blush—you tremble—it is so . "
Grace , overwhelmed by the rapid manner in which her uncle had iterated his charges , and confounded by their apparent confirmation of William ' s baseness , sank upon her seat . In an instant her lover was at her feet , her hand pressed to his heart . " Grace , dear Grace ! can you suffer the unsupported accusation of tMs madman to affect you thus ? My heart is yours , its every pulse
throbs for your happiness . Can you deem me capable of deceit ? If our love has been secret , was it not that the jealousies ancl passions of our friends should not mar it ? If it hath been concealed from your brother , was it not that Ms griefs were of too recent a date to bear the contrast of our joy ? Still silent , Grace ?—One word!—Nay , then I see calumny has prevailed , or you no longer love me—farewell ! " Turning
to Edward , he continued : " If the friend who has known my heart from childhood , who has shared its better feelings , borne ivith its follies , on the breath of a slanderer deserts me , I must regret his loss , but feel too proud to vindicate my character . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Puritan's Sister.
' * ' Seducer !'' echoed William , " liar!—Did not this roof , which is another ' s , and the presence of an angel , screen thee , my sword should write my innocence in thy black blood—seducer ! Grace , Edward , can ¦ you credit the slander of this fanatic ?" - " J" thundered the puritan , " my lips breathe not the words my Weapon fears to defend : —but this is not the hour or spot to punish thy
presumption—even from thine own lips will I judge thee . Grace , answer me with truth—me , the brother of her who bore thee in her womb —who hath danced thee on his knee—who taught thy infant lips their first prayer—who was the prop and guardian of thy infant years , hath tMs galliard , this tinsel tvorsMpper of the world , ever spoken to thee of love ?"
" He hath , " answered Grace , blushing , and casting her eyes upon the ground : but it was honourable suit he urged ; he never proffered aught than maiden innocence and virtue warrant . " Richard and Edward started : surprise was painted on the counntenance of the former , doubt on that of Edward . . ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ' \ " Virtue and maiden modesty ! " echoed Saul : " snares—springes for the soul ! He knew that thy pure nature would have recoiled from vice in its true shape , so artfully he veiled his purposes . Hath he spoken
to thee of marriage ?" " No . " " Hath he disclosed his love to thy brother ?" " No . " " Nay , hath he not even urged concealment of his passion ? You blush—you tremble—it is so . "
Grace , overwhelmed by the rapid manner in which her uncle had iterated his charges , and confounded by their apparent confirmation of William ' s baseness , sank upon her seat . In an instant her lover was at her feet , her hand pressed to his heart . " Grace , dear Grace ! can you suffer the unsupported accusation of tMs madman to affect you thus ? My heart is yours , its every pulse
throbs for your happiness . Can you deem me capable of deceit ? If our love has been secret , was it not that the jealousies ancl passions of our friends should not mar it ? If it hath been concealed from your brother , was it not that Ms griefs were of too recent a date to bear the contrast of our joy ? Still silent , Grace ?—One word!—Nay , then I see calumny has prevailed , or you no longer love me—farewell ! " Turning
to Edward , he continued : " If the friend who has known my heart from childhood , who has shared its better feelings , borne ivith its follies , on the breath of a slanderer deserts me , I must regret his loss , but feel too proud to vindicate my character . "