A Heart's Bitterness — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

64, A HEART'S BITTERNESS. early love for Keith betrayed her. Environed by such dan- gers, how many young and lovely women have gone down to ruin ere they were aware! Child as she was in heart and experience, Violet was en- tering on a long and terrible tragedy. Should she come out of it unscathed in soul, the garments of her womanly purity still white as snow, or was it written in her fate that Violet Leigh was born not only to sorrow but to reproach? She did not see her husband until dinner the day after the duke’s he She was dressed: for the opera when she came in. er dress was a blue Chinese crape, caught with knots of myosotis, and the clouds of puffed lace that lay over her neck and arms were held by bands of pearl and turquois. Her costume was very becoming. Lord Leigh nodded approval. | | ‘«“That is right. These fastidious Parisians can find no fault with that. There will be plenty of admirers about our box, I fancy. I told Keith we should see him there.” ** Why did you do that? I do not think any one gentle- man should be singled out for attention.” Lord Leigh burst into a laugh. «“J__used to know Lord Keith,” said Violet, flushing painfully, and looking down as one confessing acrime. ‘‘I ~ liked him—much. And he liked me.” “Showed his good taste,” said Lord Leigh, eating truffle. Eee _* My aunt—warned me,” said Violet, ready to cry, ‘‘ that if any one young man paid me attention, people might make remarks, and—you might be angry.” «Bless your soul!” said her husband, with coolest indif- ference, ‘‘I shall not be angry. You have a quantity of poetry and romance, but altogether of the Tennysonian sort. Who is going to be jealous of you? One might as well expect a woman of snow to take fire, as such a cool little creature as you to stirup a passion. Don’t imagine yourself into a three-volume novel, Lady Leigh. You have my full warrant to be agreeable to all who call at our box. No one will hang about you more than I do about Lady _ Clare, and who minds that?” ‘“T don’t see what you find attractive in Lady Clare,” said Violet, firing up, for she was naturally jealous. *“No? I like her cold style; and her patrician face shows ___ pure blood, if she is plain. I wish you could learn to sweep yin , comicbooks.co