Gratia's Trials — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

GRATIA’S TRIALS. 117 outlines with a careless glance which scarcely saw anything more than blank paper. **Gratia,”’ cried the child, throwing down the portfolio of prints, ‘‘you are not a bit like yourself. What makes you look so grave? Is it because Uncle Ralph is gone?” ‘‘ Don’t ask questions, child,” said Alberta, with a laugh that jarred harshly on Gratia’s excited nerves. ‘‘ Of course that is the reason. Lovers, my dear, are privileged persons in their moods.” Gratia soon after went up stairs for the night, and Alberta rang the bell for Ida’s maid, and the little girl was taken up stairs, much marveling in her mind as to ‘‘ what made Gratia so strange !” ‘‘Mamma,” Alberta said, ‘‘I am by no means certain that there may not bea slip between Gratia Kempfield’s charming red lip and the cup of good fortune that is so nearly, lifted to it. I shall do my best to open Uncle Ralph’s eyes.” ‘‘Tt will be of no use,” said Mrs. Falconer, dejectedly. ‘* Ralph is in love—and an old man’s love is ten times deeper and less capable of change than that ofa young one, You had better trim your sails to suit the wind, Alberta.” ‘‘Not if I can help it,” said Alberta, biting her lip. ‘‘ I shall try, at all events, to break the charm—and if I don't succeed, why then I must take the consequences, : CHAPTER XXII. UNCLE RALPH MAKES HIS WILL, It was not until late in the afternoon of the next day that Mr. Ralph Miller returned from Boston—an event looked for- ward to with very different emotions by Alberta and Gratia re- spectively. The former was only anxious to reveal to her uncle all the facts she had learned respecting the antecedents of his Eomicbooks (E(0) m