Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 219: what you’re looking at

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

214 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. mind in a whirl of re-awakened humiliation and grief. My sense of honor was so inflamed that I felt it to be ungen- erous—nay, dastardly—to seek to sully her by asking her to share my degradation. ‘*} determined to bid them all farewell and go with my passion unspoken. But fortune had another course open forme. ‘The ladies were all gone to some picnic or flower party, all but my treasure; and so I trod the well-known path by the brook-side, which was shut in by alders and wild wreaths of honeysuckle. There—just on the spot where once she and I had stood hand in hand for one sweet moment, while the other ladies flitted gayly up to the cot- tage from their flower-gardening—there stood my darling, weeping. ‘‘With one spring I was by her side; her sweet hands were in mine; my new-formed resolutions were flying to the four winds—my mind -rudderless. I was blind with the rush of passion; but I managed to be gentle. «<< What was the matter?’ «« «She was tired, lonely—had been shedding a few foolish tears—forget them.’ **T could wait to hear no more; a swift foreknowledge quivered through me with a joy which was so intense that darts of delicious agony shot through my heart. I clasped her in my arms. | : «<*Tell me that you were lonely for me,’ I whispered, hoarsely. ‘Her lovely head drooped to my breast; she trembled, and with scarcely conscious hands clung to me. «© «Qh, Love! are you mine?’ I breathed again; ‘have I your heart?’ . : ‘‘She shuddered yet more; suddenly she drew from my arms and stood a moment motionless, with drooping, pallid face; then she flew to me and flung her arms about me, and that averted countenance was raised, with modest, burning cheeks and staring eyes, which poured one of those strange looks, solemn and tender, into mine. Oh, the joy of that moment! Heaven seemed faint in comparison. She was mine—this peerless Isolina Rienzi, whom I had not dared to woo—this was she, embracing me! I pressed my burning kisses upon the thrilling lips, upon the meek and loving eves which had answered me so generously, upon the pale brow and scarlet, tingling cheeks. } CORNUCG OOO S (©)