Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 220: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 213 I sketched them all in groups, which I allowed them to eriticise and praise to their hearts’ content; but I-stole the lovely face of Isolina for my canvas, in. all*its moods and tenses, with a secrecy which puzzled myself. _ I never dreamed of addressing her alone; nay, more, I seldom ven- tured to speak to her at all, though I was on terms of play- ful intimacy with all the rest. Yet there was a silent sym- pathy between us which seemed to require no vehicle of speech, but throve on now and then a long, tender, yet: proud gaze from her royal eyes, and sometimes the sudden touching of the hands. ‘* But my dream was rudely broken. Letters reached us from England, with the startling intelligence that my sister Alicia had been sent home from her studies in London, seri- ously ill, and her medical attendant apprehended the worst results; if I would see her alive, I must hasten home. When I received this letter, a storm of mixed griefs assailed me; all at once I felt the depth—the strength—the sweet- ness of my love for the ‘ Beautiful Rienzi.? I must leave her, and turn to my despair again. My gentle sister, whose affection might have saved me, was dying; the last scion of my blood was about to be snatched away. Ivanilla, you can appreciate the sorrows of my position. ‘*TIn the midst of my despair, Doctor Pemberton came to me, and his advice showed how his heart was interested in my happiness. » , 7 : “<< Don’t sit there with your head down, man,’ he cried; ‘throw trouble tothe dogs. Go to your lovely lady—I’ll war- rant there’s one in the case, that makes you grip to America like this—and tell her right square up what you want. I don’t think she’s the girl to send you home to poor Allie uncomforted.’ <‘T was almost in a frenzy. «<<T have been ina dream!’ I exclaimed. ‘I forgot my tainted name and my doubtful honor when I dared to look upon Isolina Rienzi. She would turn with loathing from the son of an actress, whose dishonor has swallowed up in its blackness her miserable children!’ «¢ «She'll forgive all but faults in you. Go and try her, urged Pemberton, warmly. ‘Oh, man, what do you know about woman?’ | ‘‘T had to leave Saratoga that evening, so there was no time for reflection.. I went straight to the cottage, my comicbooks com -