'I will--I will only say----' 'What ?' she asked.

The thin sharp sound in her voice was a note of alarm.
'I will not marry you,' moaned the curate.
'Not marry me!' she exclaimed in astonishment.
'I love you.

I shall always love you.

No other woman shall ever be my wife; but I will never marry you; and I shall go away and leave you free to forget me.' 'But why?
What have I done ?' she asked, her breath catching her tones.
'You have done nothing, my poor, poor girl; but--oh, my darling, I would gladly die if by dying I could open your eyes to see the simple integrity of unselfishness!' 'It is very absurd for you to speak of unselfishness at the very moment when you are selfishly giving me so much pain,' she cried, defiant.
He bent his head and covered his face with his hands.
She stood and looked at him, her cheeks flushed and her breast heaving with a great anger.
'Good-bye, Violetta,' he said, and turned slowly away.
'I never heard of anything so dishonourable,' she cried.
And that was what the world said; the curate was in disgrace with society for the rest of his life.
V 'HATH NOT A JEW EYES ?' Mr.Saintou the hairdresser was a Frenchman, therefore his English neighbours regarded him with suspicion.

He was also exceedingly stout, and his stoutness had come upon him at an unbecomingly early age, so that he had long been the object of his neighbours' merriment.