Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

ood BEAUTIFUL RIENZL ie | 27 drawing-room ; a broad, exquisitely chased band with two hands clasped to hide a ruby heart, which once I had played with until a spring suddenly was touched and a plain golden hoop was revealed from underneath. This ring she had never explained to me; she had once told me that it was not the gift of a lover, and I had asked no more. The ring no longer sparkled on her hand ; the gift which was not from a lover was gone; I could not say that I had seen if since that night of the storm. Had she given it back in that secret walk ? Was some tie broken which that double ring had represented? Had it anything to do with the man whose red-brown eyes were a prophecy of coming tragedy? 7 Oh, dull eyes of mortals! Why can they not pierce the vail of circumstances, and warn the heart from woe? _ “This book is too sad for you, Iva. I will read another.” ‘Oh, let me share it—were it ten times as sad, let me suffer too.” I started at my own words and recalled myself ; she was speaking of the poem, I of the secret. She rose and put away the book. I saw that she understood me, by the sad and furtive look she cast upon me, and I blamed my inadvertence when she kissed me so mournfully. Youth is the season of elasticity; I soon become strong and well again, and, with health, my spirits flung off much of their depression. It was a considerable time before my blind eyes were opened to another change in my sister—a change which, like the rest, seemed invisible to all else. She no longer beamed with loving affection toward our father; her sportive tenderness was all gone; she sat be- fore him with downcast eyes—she watched him with furtive perplexity and sorrow in her sweet face. I have seen her shrink from his paternal caresses, with dismay unspeakable in her manner. This change, of all, was most incomprehensible; a se- cret mildew seemed withering the very roots of our family love, and I alone was doomed to see the changes which to others were invisible—a gulf was widening between our bright Isolina and us—hands were dragging her into dark- ness, and I bound by a promise to keep silence, alone saw the threatening ruin. y cGomicboo cS co