Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

162 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. my mother’s face bending over me. Hours had passed; it was midnight, and I was on my mother’s bed, she alone be- side me. The unnatural strain on my feelings had passed away; I was able to hope for the best, instead of dwelling on the worst. “6 Mamma, Ihave been a child,” I murmured; “forgive me.’ “Thank Heaven that you have recovered!” whispered my mother, tremulously. ‘I did not know the strain which has been on your mind all these weeks.” “Listen! What is that?” I exclaimed, sitting up. «Mr. Lindhurst, my love. He 1s pacing the hall to-night. Shall I open the door and tell him that his Iva is scared by his footsteps? Fye, child! love must be very deaf, as well as blind!” ‘*No, no. I shall have to listen to it. Mamma, what has been done? The woman Even while I spoke profound exhaustion closed my mouth; I sank gently back against my mother’s arm and fell asleep. er ER CHAPTER XXI. A TRIP IN THE RAIN. ‘A miser, seeing a mouse in his house, said: ‘ What art thou doing, dearest mouse, in my house?’ And the mouse, secretly smiling, replied: ‘Fear nothing, my friend; we do not want food from you, only lodging.’ ”—GREEK ANTHOLOGY. When I awoke I was lying alone in my mother’s bed, the broad daylight shining on my face, and the sounds of Mrs. Haller’s kitchen, which was near, reminding me cheerfully of the neighbor hood of human beings. It was nine o’clock; what a bridge of time stretched be- tween me and the startling events of last night! I hurried on my clothes and opened the door. Sophie was busily sweeping down the steps with a hand- broom. ‘« How is my sister?” I asked. «Oh, are you up, miss, and better? Yes, you look bright, Miss Iva, dear. Miss Isolina is sleeping yet; she didn’t have a very good night, ’'m afraid. She was anxious about COMICOOO S (©)