A Heart's Bitterness — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

A HEART’S BITTERNESS. — 33 and the young Oxonian wandered in the woods, and by the summer streams, and for six weeks were entirely hap;y in - each other’s society. Kate Gray, Violet’s maid, had a young woman’s sym- _ pathy for a pair of beautiful young lovers, and she felt great pity for the repressed and lonely life of her dear little mistress. Kate was present at all the meetings, a convenieut third, deaf to all soft words of love, and blind to each stolen caress. Kate carried the numerous letters that were a ne- cessity, even though the lovers met twice each day. But the hour came when the young student must go back to his studies. With tears and lingering embraces the youthful pai parted, promising daily letters and undying i pvemen wee hey parted, and utter silence fell between them. Since that hour Violet had neither seen nor heard of her handsome adorer. He had been false; she said that he had . seen in her only the simple little Lincolnshire girl, and had amused himself, and then forgotten her. As the young and lonely bride recalled all these bitter- * sweet experiences, her brown eyes fell from the marble Venus, and were fastened dreamily on the floor. Presently she gave that start which so often comes to the object of fixed attention. She sprang up, feeling that she had been for hours, yes, — for ages, on that sofa in the little rotunda. Turning, she lifted her gaze, and her eyes met once again those same dark-blue, ardent eyes which had met hers in the Lincolnshire woods. ‘The lover of her girlhood was be- ‘fore her once more. ore One instant a deadly pallor spread over her face, her par- asol fell from her hand, and she caught at the back of the sofa for support. ‘Then, as with an exclamation, the young man sprang forward and stooped for the ivory and silken toy which she had dropped; the blood surged over her throat and face, and she felt as if he had not only been watching her, but had read her thoughts—read all those tender reminiscences of him—the traitor. Where was her pride? Could she show that she had re- membered, while he had forgotten?. Never! never! He held out the parasol, and also his right hand to clasp hers. He cried: Gomicbooks (e(@)