A Heart's Bitterness — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

10 A HEART’S BITTERNESS. finest drawing-rooms in London, as became the dwelling of _aprince of finance. In a moment Violet’s maid entered. - Would you come up to Miss Ainslie’s boudoir, my lady? _ She is anxious to see you, but cannot come down.” CHAPTER II. “nO YOU TRULY LOVE?” Lady Burton went up the well-known stair, and the maid threw open’ the door of the heiress’ boudoir. The most fashionable mantau-maker in London, and her three chief assistants, were in possession. Leaning back in a great stuffed chair, her eye-glasses in hand, her face illuminated with pride and interest, was the portly, kindly figure of. 2 Mrs. Ainsliie, the banker’s wife. In the center of the room, and the cynosure of all eyes, was a charming, dainty girl-figure, with white, dimpled "he arms, statuesquely folded, all clad from shoulders to toe in the white of a cambric dressing- jacket and her white petti- o coat, with its multitudinous lace frills, while before her knelt Madame Lamlini, the modiste, holding against her . _ “subject” ample folds of silk and lace, a mass that looked Og eee »* es $crux > =) P ++ pee . ae Se * rs; ~ ye" rn, a “rt. {4 Pie 3° ely a 3 Be. a a | Be a ee. 5 Ae vt Aes Mf a ee La 3 or i a like the curled and crested foam-bright waves of the sea. In half-undress, standing to be draped and fitted, bare- _ necked, bare-armed, pensive, silent, lost as in some curious maze, this was she, Violet Ainslie, the great heiress, the _ orphan holder of burdensome millions, doomed to be her curse. _ The opening of the boudoir door drew the girl from her fancies with a start. She held out her hand. ‘‘J] am a prisoner des modes,” she said. Mrs. Ainslie came forward, her usual heartiness intensi- a fied by her honest regard and as honest awe for Lady Bur- phone «“So good of you, Lady Burton, to come to us. Violet was to go to you as soon as Madame Lambini released her; _ but you see now we are so hurried in our preparations—— m Meanwhile two small, tremulous hands had seized upon > lat Burton, and held her fast, with a nervous, almost paring clasp. Her right hand thus imprisoned, Lady m EOmMIEHboOoks (€(@)