Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

56 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI, her part. JI asked him who spoke to him; he said a gentle- man who was driving a lady in an open sleigh, and he had given him a quarter forthe job. And that is all I can say on the matter, which 1s certainly a very extraordinary one for such a girl as Isolina to be embroiled in. Surely—surely she has not done anything clandestine?” Here I told my father the exact case as 1t stood between Isolina and Beaumont, and related how earnestly she had tried to keep him true to her friend. The crisis had not come which was to force tke whole of my strange story from me; [ was resolved to keep my sister’s secret history locked in my own bosom until she released my tongue. «‘ And do you leave me to infer that he has forcibly taken her away?” ejaculated my father, starting up; ‘‘ By Heaven! this is an outrage that I will take good care to sift! Where’s the young man’s address? Yon don’t know? There! there! don’t cry, little one—go to bed and sleep— you are as white as a ghost. Ill see to this business—never you fear!” | He went with me up the long, desolate stairs, kissed me tenderly in my own little bedroom, and went away. I watching him from the window in the shining moonlight saw him with a servant by his side walk rapidly down the street. Ah! that was anight! I watched by the window until my heavy eyes grew burning and blind. I flitted to and fro in my echoing room until my watch ticked me into a frenzy. I crept to Lillia’s door, and, grown humble by misery, im- plored her to allow me to be with her, but the girl’s mood was harder than mine, and she stoutly refused. Weeping, I returned to my room, flung myself on my bed, and sank into a deep, dreamless sleep. CORNUCG OOO S (©)