Lady Evelyn — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

The Story of.the Past. 121 soaked with blood; portions of the garments he wore, and his fair, golden hair, were found, drenched with his brave heart’s blood. Some unknown assassin hed met him there, murdered him, and thrown his body into the sea !” She covered her face with het hands, as though she saw the horrible sight before her, shuddering convulsively from head to foot. Evelyn kissed the white lips tenderly, and bathed the poor, pallid face. “T lived through it all. Oh, life beats very strongly in the weakest of us, since I could suffer like that and not die! But it killed his father; that loyal, loving heart could not endure such misery long. And at his request, and by his dying bed, 1—married—your—father !” She pronounced the last words with a slow, strange solemnity, looking her daughter full in the face. “His uncle was attached to him ; he was the last of the name, of their house—the future Farl of Clontarf - his in- fluence over that poor, heart-broken, dying man, was boundless. And he was Roderick’s father. Could | gainsay his last wish? I stood there beside Gerald Des- mond with a hesrt that lay like lead in my bosom—a heart as cold and lifeless as the lover I had lost—and be- came his wife. He knew it all; he wedded me knowing I loved him not—could never love him. But, oh, heaven! how little I dreamed then of the awful truth! How little I knew he, not Morgan, was A “Whet, mamma?” Lady Evelyn asked the question, livid to the lips, with a horror too intense. for words. Her mother shrank away from the gaze of those wild, blue eyes. “No, no! no, no! not to you! Heaven forgive me! How madly I speak! There are times when I think all my misery must have turned my brain. I scarcely know what I say. But can you wonder now that such a love- less union should end in estrangement and separation? Your father may have cered for me once; he professed to, with all man’s ardor; but, Evelyn, he hates me now!” “Oh, mamma, rnamma!” “Tt is true. You are no child. It is plainly enough to be seen if, I were dead to-morrow he would rejoice in his secret heart. It seems very terrible for me to say this to ; you, bug. it is pias to the beh! and if you do not know si aes shark ita, eh ie oe wv 4% « - “ati ‘ fits “4 # ; v ’ 7 ® 7? « we 2 oy et} . hcg x “oe oe cae “s aul * é 4 ay ym. i \~ > mo ae ie : . om, he ; ee at Yay ST RPT EOE tre) we. WS er ee ate ws | ae — ee | + te ah Soak rus * - v a al ** <y * > > Ss PAS, v7 : ees y WN Pes he res PY it &