A Heart's Bitterness — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

16 A HEART'S BITTERNESS. . riage. Might she not be speaking rather her own desire, than inner righteousness in the case? The marriage morning, the first of June, dawned fair— matchless day for a matchless wedding scene. | The space about the chancel of St. George seemed as if filled by bands of angels. when Violet Ainslee stood there, with her fourteen lovely attendants. Surrounded with beauty, music, flowers, fragrance, friends, Violet held out that soft, white, well-dowered hand to Lord Norman Leigh, and her sweet lips said, softly, ** 1 will.” Neither bride, nor groom, nor priest, nor people dreamed that, heavy and remorseless as the blow of ‘‘ the hammer of | Thor,” a terrible wrong and fate would crush and shatter that vow before it had been kept for one brief hour! Sun- shine in glory blazing all about her, and, under the sun- shine, cruel destruction darkening over the life of this inno- cent child. * * % * * * The wedding breakfast is over; carriages wait; the Ains- lies and the Montressors are in blissful amity. In the mag- nificent boudoir of Mrs. Ainslie the groom is to see his bride for a moment alone before she is taken to put on her traveling-dress, as they set forth for Paris and Italy. A -matchless bride of sweet and sunny beauty, and all blessed « _ possibilities, she stands, as her aunt left her, gleaming in satin, lace, and pearls, her bridal flowers in her hand, her _ face bent over the sweet, languishing, fatal breath, of one central tuberose. A tuberose in a bridal bouquet! * * * ee * » 2 R * _. Mrs. Ainslie opens the door for Lord Norman Leigh. «¢ Here is your bride.” : Lhe scarcely uttered words die ina wild scream at a ter- rible sight. _ Yes, here is his bride—a white, still, prostrate figure, ly- ing supine on the floor, in all her glory of jewels and lace, in all the gorgeous color of the eminent the hope and _ the radiance gone out of her bridal day! EGOmIG JOO <SHE(E(0)