Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 177 «‘T will be glad to take a little refreshment with you,” said Mrs. Ringwood, frankly; ‘‘but I cannot remove my bonnet; I have overstaid my time beyond the most ex- tended call. I see my faithful creature out there waiting me.” | | My mother rang the bell and directed the luncheon tray to be brought in. «Your servant, Morecombe, is an Italian?” she asked, quietly. | ““Yes—yes, I believe so,” minced the lady pleasantly ; “‘ poor creature, he is everything I believe, but a most de- voted soul!” [t was evident this lady did not intend to be unmasked; she was perfectly able to hold her own against two such foes. Mrs. Haller came in, carrying a tray, which she set on the center-table ; then turned with a respectful courtesy, to leave the room. “«Stay,” cried Mrs. Ringwood, rising, and holding the old woman’s wrinkled hand lightly with the fingers of her left hand ; ‘‘I did not ask you when I saw you before, how my poor people are?” I confess my suspicions seemed somewhat ridiculous as [ listened to Mrs. Haller’s account of old Jobson, the carrier’s, rheumatism, which had never come back since that bottle of opodeldoc, and of Mrs. Dawson’s white swelling; and how the Hopper family all went to Sunday-school, now, in the clothes she made for them; and how the Widow Rey- nolds missed her tracts and tea, with sundry other bits of charitable gossip which contrasted as incongruously with the desperate character which I assigned to this woman. Meantime my mother busied herself in pouring wine into four glasses and bearing them on the tray, while she re- moved a dish of cold fowl to a smaller table in the window, and leisurely commenced to carve it. . As she did so she leveled one intense glance at me, then almost turned her back to the visitor and went on carving. That glance said as plain as eyes could express it— “ Watch’? Then, indeed, I began to understand, and to admire my mother’s sagacity. Mrs. Haller at last left the room; Mrs. Ringwood drew near the table and sat down. As she did so her long vail fell forward between me and the glasses of CORNUCG OOO S (©)