Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 277 our dear girl was far away in her husband’s stately Wold, a good old priest, who was getting up a university for pious nuns, came all the way from the distant Canadian valley in which the French village nestled to relieve good Catholic purses of their superfluity, and from him we heard how truly heroic, patient, and self-suffering our Isolina had been to her reputed mother, whose terrible temper and dar- ing infidelity had struck awe through the villagers. And here is the strange letter which Isolina found, sealed and addressed to my father, and which began with the words: ‘MY VENDETTA.” ‘You, Guiseppe Rienzi, first woke my heart to the bitter sensation of passion, I was beautiful and proud, of noble family, and an heiress. I might have wed a marquis, but it loved you. What were you? Bah! A student—an artist, with his bread to win—a sculptor without a chisel—a visionary, with a respectable name (bah, again!), and a slender patri- mony when your elder brother, Andrea, should be served. ‘«‘Tf I had put my foot upon your hands for stepping- stones across the mire, I should have honored you above your position; but I flung my wealth, and my beauty, and my heart at your feet, and prayed you to deign to wear the trifles in your bosom. Who could withstand Gemma Lan- cinetto? You were dazzled, and I thought you loved me. I loaded you with chains of passion-flowers, and thought you were my captive; but it was I who wore the chains of iron, and not the flowers. I was the prisoner. << You came to me one day; your eyes were flashing like the sun in his angry strength, and I trembled. ‘«<‘They say Guiseppe, the poor student, schemes for Donna Gemma’s gold,’ you said, ‘and if you love me, as you say you do, you will grant me a favor.’ «And what is that?’ « «Publicly give your wealth to endow some church, and come to me a penniless bride. If you love me, you will love my honor.’ as | ‘© «And what an inconsistency that would be!’ I jibed. ; ‘I, who scoff at their temples, to endow one! Jlonly glory in my wealth, and in showering it upon you, to throw it away!’ ie «¢T had unlocked the magic-box, and the gem rose up from its lurking-place which was to destroy me. 3p comicbooks.com