A Heart's Bitterness — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

_ A HEART’S BITTERNESS. ~ 67 home if she dared, and have defied her. With Violet he had nothing to lose. But, unfortunately, he had pretended to Violet that this woman was a total stranger. The crooked paths of deceit were more natural to Leigh than the high- way oftruth. All the terrors of his fate came upon him from the lack of moral courage to meet and brave in clear - light the danger that lay in his way. CHAPTER XVII. ON THE BRIDGE AT MIDNIGHT. The splendid mansion of the Duchess of Pontalba, next to the British Embassy, was a blaze of light and magnifi- cence. Carriage after. carriage rolled up, and left at the stately portal, fair and richly dressed women, and men titled, renowned, decorated with the orders of many kingdoms, ~ | Among the throng which passed over the strip of velvet carpet, under the damask canopy, and so up the marble steps, guarded by tall urns, filled with gorgeous tropic plants, was Lord Leigh, with Violet, his wife. Lord Leigh, possessor of an old name, a vast estate, and the hand of the richest heiress in England, was the center of all eyes, and the envy of most hearts, as he led his bride to salute the Duchess of Pontalba. | But when the gorgeous assembly rooms were filled, and in the smiling, talking, dancing throng, one could not be missed. Norman Leigh wrapped a cloak about him, and — passing from the glittering scene, went with rapid step through the Rue Royale, and the Place de la Concorde ont upon the Pont de la Concorde to the meeting to which he had been summoned. | , - Leigh seated himself on the heavy parapet, and looked _ moodily at the river running blackly under the fine frown- Be Bates! | art of these huge granite blocks had been in the hope- less, fateful walls of the bastile; but never had beaten near them a heart harder than that of Norman Leigh, nor ~ stormier than that of the woman who had summoned him to this tryst, comicbooks.co