Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ALFRED DE ROSANN. ll Mr. Clayton—and the ceremony was performed at St. James’s Church, in Piccadilly, a select number of re- latives and friends being alone invited to witness the celebration of the hymeneal rites. The year 1812 was an eventful one for the family. of Clayton. The marriage of Eloise and Henry was the only happy circumstance which marked it; all else was sad and sorrowful. Mr. Clayton, encouraged by the successful speculations of his elder son, embarked a considerable portion of his property in the same ad- venturous commercial lottery, and one morning found himself so nearly ruined that the remnants of his once ample fortune scarcely sufficed to cover his en- gagements and liquidate his debts. The property of ~ William was alike involved in ruin; and, to the asto- nishment of every merchant or banker upon the EXx« change, his house, which was considered as secure as aught in this world can be, stopped its payments. These sudden visitations of calamity so affected the mind of Mrs. Clayton, that she sickened, and, after a short illness, resigned her breath in the arms of a dis= tracted husband. Mr. Clayton did not long survive so severe a loss. Deprived of fortune and the partner of his sorrows as well as of his joys, he felt. himself an isolated being in the world, and became reckless of life. His naturally gay disposition relapsed into a brooding melancholy and a continued reverie on un- pleasant subjects; and in the autumn of the same year which witnessed the nuptials of Henry and Eloise, and which marked the departure from this world of a virtuous woman, he succumbed to the weight of his misfortunes, and closed his eyes upon the sorrows of earth for ever. | On his death-bed he related to Eloise all that he knew relative to her parents; he imparted his suspi- cions concerning her father’s fate to the afflicted girl, and placed in her hands the various letters he had re- ceived from him when he was at Paris. “ By their aid,’ said the dying man, “ you may. one day discover some traces that will solve this mys- terv. and help to put you in possession of a fortune ery? P P y P ' COmicoooks (GO)