A Heart's Bitterness — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

A HEART’S BITTERNESS. 1098 ‘Tt is not prudent—nor proper,” began Keith, offended __ that his society was so evidently odious. ye ““Itis a pity if I do not know what is prudent and proper, when I am nearly nineteen,” said Violet, contu- maciously. ‘‘l am going to walk up this path, and Jam going by myself!” and she rose, and walked her chosen way. Keith did not follow her. He sat plaiting grass, and writhing’ with rage and mortification. He did not know exactly what amount of guardianship a pretty damsel needed. But when her olive-green gown, with its flutter- ing ribbons, had disappeared along the path, he felt he must not be too far from her. The path taken by Violet was deeply shaded, and on either side rose steep banks, crowned by thick copse, loved of rabbits. Lord Keith ascended the left-hand bank, and moved along above the path, but hidden by the bracken and’ hazel bushes. He went in deep Sloom, his head bent, his heart sore, and temper irritated, es Violet pursued her elected path—finding it, for all its. — beauty, anything but pleasant. She had never been soun- ~~ happy in her life. The cruel bitterness hidden in her young heart sent a mist of tears across her wide, innocent eyes, and the woe welled over and ran down the pink and dim- pled cheeks. | Both the honest young creatures were miserable following their divided ways. . | Finally Violet came to a granite column, almost as high as her shoulder. It had been a milestone years ago, when this lane was a frequented bridle-path. The top of the ~— stone was covered with lichens, and a great striped snailwas crawling over it. Violet stopped, with her hand on the stone, looking at its minute life of lichens and beetles—but seeing nothing clearly. | Then she heard a fearful noise, between a howl, a cry, ~ and a roar, and, looking up, saw a terrible creature rushing —_— toward her. An enormous man, with ragged red hairand beard flying to the winds—eyes blood-shot, red, scintillating _ under bushy brows, a great row of white teeth, like fangs, glittering in his open mouth, head and feet bare, his body naked from the waist up—coming with long leaps, hisarms held high, and both hands grasping the handle of a large ' ~ * a sm - ae eS EN - aed Pe? - he onlin comicbooks.com |