Guy Earlscourt's Wife — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

uare, a suspicious am, he started mut, found the ling over the ied the shawl. pink ray stole in tiny flaxen as how the ad- said he would light. y heart seem- say ¢” e through the ul rate-paying, umbers. dismissed the id confronted h voice of an- looking back 00!” uke eried out, set eyes on it e weeks ago! t have to sus- a chance to Pn to me—no, d its mother, ee weeks ago ‘uided young ras this?’ are at me in ere the Gor- he door, and At St. Georze’s, Hanover Square. 39 tell you the whole story. I don’t know what to do with it, ) and here, it’s waking up.” ES Miss Mason took 'the baby. Even Achilles had a vulnera- “ ble spot somewhere in his heel, and Miss Mason had one in * her heart; a child always found its way there at once. She —* took it with wonderful tenderness, and removed the shawl * altogether, a real India shawl, she saw to her great amaze. © The little one opened its eyes—two big, blue eyes, and looked with a baby stare of wonder up in her face. It was the pret- tiest little thing conceivable—a child of a year and a half or more, with littic, chiseled features, a rose-bud mouih, and beautiful, blue eyes, crystal clear. A baby girl with dainty ' embroidered underclothing, a little blue silk dress, the hue of : her eyes, and a gold chain and locket: round jer neck. Curi- osity overcame every other feeling, even virtuous maiden in- ~) dignation, in the breast of Miss Rosanna. — “for Heaven’s sake, Duke, what does it mean, and who is © this child?” | | > “That’s more than I know. I don’t know her name, nor -» her age, any more than the dead. All I do know I'll tell you ~ now. But first you may keep those things.” He drew forth the pocketbook. “There’s a hundred pounds here, which her mother gave me, and here’s a ring, also given me by her mother. Now don’t look like that, Rosanna! Miss Lyndith’s a great lady, whose very flunkies, I dare say, would look down on me.” — “Miss Lyndith! JI thought you were speaking of this child’s mother, Duke?” Rosanna said, in a spectral voice. "So J am. If there’s anything wrong it’s not my fault. It’s a very queer affair from first to last, and much more like one of the five-act dramas at the Britannia than the events of real life.” And then, while the little one lay in Miss Mason’s arms, and gazed about her with solemn, baby eyes, Duke went back to the twenty-fifth of March, and told the story of that night— all he had seen, all he had heard. This was the eause of his } dreaminess, his absence of mind, the change she had noticed in him. Then he produced the note of the previous after- noon, and gave it to hor to read, and related all that had be- fallen him from three o’clock until now. His sister listened breathlessly. She had never read a novel, nor witnessed a play in her life. She had never been in love, she sad no data to fall back upon that might help her to realize this story. It was Hike hearing Greek to her. All she knew was that Miss Lynaith, be she never so rich, was & young woman no ‘etter thai: she ought to be, and that this child in her lap v7: doub*less the offspring of But she Lithy “Wy 36h ee Made Whi wes ¥ 7%, Pot aD ad eae on ACE ee ae, Mn Wind Nee * ’ Ps ms 4 ; gai COoOmIcDOOKS.cOm