Page:Forget Me Not (1826).djvu/37

This page needs to be proofread.

ALICE. 17


Alice. Why should I not?—and yet some- times I have a fluttering at my heart— an awe — A sinking. Is it fear?—’Twere wrong to fear Such goodness: yet, in sooth, I tremble, mother; I. know not why. - If he were gentle—like — If he would take my hand, and only say, Alice! Henry (taking her hand). My cousin Alice! fly me not, Alice! Alice. Lord Claremont! ~ Henry. Nay, thy Henry, sweet one. It was the first word that thou spakest, Alice; Do not forget it now.—Forgive me, madam, That I thus stole upon you! -Oh, forgive My deeper, but unwilling guilt! At length I can be just. The old ancestral hall, The wide demesne, are thine. Within an hour Thy gentle William will be there, to fill His father’s seat—the heir. Oh, thank me not: I am still rich in my paternal wealth — A beggar still in love. I have no mother — Be thou one to me: let thy William call Me brother.

Mrs. Neville. My dear son!

Alice. And am not I Thy sister!

Henry. No, mine own sweet Alice, no!

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.