His Other Wife: A Novel — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

“THE DEAD LIVES.” 41 bands of her hair, and passed directly into the presence of the old family friend and attorney, Mathew Croft. She said, after bidding him good-day : _**T had your note last evening, sir, preparing me fora painful interview this morning. Will you kindly relieve my suspense at once?” — Mr. Croft looked embarrassed, twisted himself nerv- ously, and with infinite awkwardness, upon his chair, showed his tusks, and thus delivered himself : ‘‘ Well, my dear, you are a brave woman, and I feel it is best to be candid and straightforward with you. In the fewest possible words, my dear Leda, this estate of Lu- cerne, the last remnant of your father’s vast property, is, and has for some time been, utterly insolvent, and covered with mortgages. I had, just before your dear mother’s last illness, by her consent and approval, concluded a sale of Lucerne to a Northern client of mine, at more advan- tageous terms than I had any reasonable hope of making, otherwise the property must have been sold at public out- cry, to the highest bidder, to sattsfy the claims of exacting creditors. ” | | | ‘‘How is it that I never heard of this?” cried Miss Morgan, pale with pain and humiliation at her forlorn condition. } | “Tt was your mother’s will that you should not know it. She wished to save you the blow as long as possible. But now I have no alternative but to tell you frankly.” © Leda ‘was quite still for a few moments; she felt-too Eomicbooks: (Eo) =|