Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

42 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI lady, as I flung her white opera-cloak round her pear] shoulders. “1? oh, anything! The saints defend me from attrac’ ing anybod ysattention. I shall get behind my harp whe my time comes to sing alone.” ‘Come, Lillia,’ said my sister, entering at that momen “it is time you were going down ‘to your cavalier.” ‘‘ Dressed so soon! Oh, and what a magnificent creatui you are, Isolina! Look, Miss Iva—are you not proud ¢ ‘The Beautiful Rienzi? ” I turned and looked at my dear sister; and I protest thé such loveliness struck through my heart with a keen, ye foreboding fondness. I could not but feel convinced that Cecil Beanmont wou. never return to his homage—to the pretty fiancee while suc a star blazed before him. Perhaps Lilia was thinking the same; a shadow crosse her soft brows, and tears stole into her eyes. ‘¢ No wonder everybody goes crazy about you!” she sighed ‘Tl declare, it must be rather a serious matter to have suc! attractions! Just think of the hearts you'll be forced t break, before you are gray-haired!” A look of utter misery settled upon my sister’s face; sh stood unrolling her music, absently, while her deep, ques tioning eyes fixed themselves upon the flickering coals, with an expression almost of fierce despair. The stream of inward emotion was conquered in a mo- ment; she turned almost sadly to us, and began criticising Miss Meredith’s dress, with anxious care. ‘“‘T am pieased with your appearance,” she said. ‘J never saw you more becomingly attired. Now, go down to Mr. Beaumont, and try to make him forget his foolish in- constancy.” ‘What must I say?” responded the girl, helplessly. ‘If he should be in one of his darkest moods, I will be too frightened to say a word to him. Oh, do come with me.’ ‘*T? No; I have to look over this chorus,” sald Isolina, shrinking back. ‘Iva, do you go.” So Miss Meredith and I went down together, and I drew the little trembling creature into the drawing-room, where the loved of her heart was pacing back and forward with a deep, introverted light in his eyes. COMICOOO S (©)