Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 113 a mother can exhibit so nobly, and chose to act the part of comforter and nurse to the world-weary girl whose heart ached with a load which—ah, Heaven only estimated at its true weight! My attention was strongly arrested by the eager, intense look with which Isolina watched my mother during the first day of her arrival. I could not trace that strange constraint with which she treated my father in her bearing toward mamma; but yet her manner was unaccountable. There was a gentle submis- sivenessand an humble affection, which blended with every look and feeble tone, as if an unforgiven wrong toward that gentle mother was burdening her soul. But after a time all lesser interests were forgotten, and the day of her trial approached. It was extremely doubtful if she would stand the ordeal. Dr. Graves looked every letter of his name, but did his duty unceasingly, and visited the prison twice a day. My mother staid in the cell until the latest hour that visitors were allowed; myfather almost lived in Mr. Speingle’s law office. From his anxious face, when he came home to his hasty meals, I feared that the case was getting onslowly. As for me, these three days were alter- nations between despair and hope, and I was in a state of intermittent anxiety, painful to myself, and, I fear, intoler- able to others. Qn the evening before the dreaded day, Miss Cranstown came running in to see me, and to comfort me if she could. | She brought news which at another period would have caused me much sincere regret; but in my present mood, scarcely attracted my attention at the time. “The fate of poor young Rosecraft has been ascertained almost to a certainty,” she said. ‘‘ He was traced on board the cars which ran off the track ten miles from New York on the twenty-ninth of November, and though the body never was found, undoubtedly he perished in the debris, as he was in a weak and disabled state. Mrs. Harrison must be cared for. She has a beautiful little child, two weeks old, and we must keep the melancholy news from her until she is stronger.” These tidings did not impress me at the time; but after my friend left they occurred to me, and, I know not how, aroused my keen interest, -I contemplated the affair in all CORNUCG OOO S (©)