Gratia's Trials — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

162 GRATIA’S TRIALS. | ‘Oh, Miss Kempfield, look ! look !” cried Hadley, jerking her dress. ‘‘ What a pretty green velvet riding-habit !” Involuntarily Gratia lifted her eyes from the azalea stand, and found herself face to face with Colonel Hugo Falconer. She knew him in an instant, and his recognition of her was almost equally quick, although the year of their separation had altered her in more respects than one. He had left her almost — a child, fair to look upon, it is true, but, nevertheless, imma- ture; she had grown into a beautiful woman, with dreamy, hazel eyes, curls like coiled sunshine, and lips as rare and red as strawberries. Neither had dreamed of seeing the other; it was like the strange, sudden apparition that sometimes comes to pass in a dream, and for a moment both stood still. The next minute he had detached himself from the party and stood at her side. ‘‘Gratia, my child! my adopted daughter! how come you to be here ?” Her first impulse was to throw herself into his arms, with a tempest of glad tears; her next to shrink away. Surely he could not have heard from the United States—he could not know that he was addressing the woman who was said to be the murderess of his uncle! ‘‘T__I am with friends,” she faltered. ‘‘We are looking at the hall.” | ‘‘And I am staying in the house,” said Colonel Falconer, resolutely retaining the hand she would fain have drawn away. ‘‘Are you at Cheyne Regis or Melworth? And how does it happen tha you arein England? My darling, do you know that you have grown very beautiful ?” ‘‘Gratia turned red and pale with contending emotions. ‘*You must not speak so to me, sir,” she faltered ; ‘‘ you do not know all.” ‘‘What is it that] do not know? Nay”—as a nattily at- tired groom came to whisper to him that Mrs. Melworth was waiting—‘‘I must not linger longer now. Where are you GEomicbooks:co