A Heart's Bitterness — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

160 ~+~A HEART'S BITTERNESS. it seemed miles and miles. Her head reeled, sharp, fierce pains shot through her arms and back, and finally, _ with a low cry, she threw up her hands, and groping blindly, fell, in blessed unconsciousness of her misery. The spot where she fell was a little copse of hazel bushes and ferns; the great verdant brake and the tender hazel leaves leaned over her and sheltered her; bees hummed her a slumber-song; butterflies swayed above her in the warm, golden air. She came a little from her swoon, not enough to realize herself, and her mind was full of the Lincolnshire woods, the cool, deep retreats about the old Grange, and she saw again the face of Kenneth, her lover, and she heard his voice murmuring sweet words that she had a right to hear, and his hand touched hers, and she was ‘sheltered, and happy, and at rest. She knew not these were drifting, fevered dreams, and that her pillow was but green brake, not Kenneth’s heart, and that it was a truant butterfly that lightly touched her hand, and she was lost and alone, fallen wounded by the rough wayside of life. CHAPTER XXXIX. “oH! WHAT HAVE I DONE?” The sun that shines on, over all human joy and pain, had reached and passed mid-heaven. ‘The insects whirred tire- lessly on the grasses, but the birds had stolen to the leafy shades, and the flowers drooped in the heat, while Violet still lay unfriended in her covert. -She tossed and moaned, _ and then began to babble in a fevered dream. Out upon the still air went the words of her complaining: ‘“‘ Why does no one care forme? Why do they all deceive me? Oh, Iam so alone, so alone! Iam lost and afraid. Why don’t I die?” | These moanings reached, at last, a human ear. <A woman, old and plain, but singularly large-framed, erect, and vigorous, a cottage woman, in a white cap, a check __linsey gown, and a great white apron, was passing by. She __ stopped at the unexpected sounds, then followed whence ax f % ' oh he they came, and finally parted the green branches, and looked in on Violet in her ferny nest. ___. ** Goodness save us!” cried the dame, ‘‘who are you,-my ____ hittle pretty, and where ever did you come from?” - - sf - Comicbooks (E(@)