Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

OCTAVIA'S PRIDE 113 white speck in the dazzling blue of blending sea and sky, but finally dwindled, dwindled, and vanished. Will Yarrel, on the lonely island shore, watched it dis- appear. When it was fairly gone, the large, mournful brown eyes were lifted upward yearningly, the hands across the heaving breast clasped themselves prayerfully, and he murmured, softly: ** At last, at last I am free from the persecution of men! IT am alone with earth and Heaven! Why should I tremble, or be afraid? Nature is loving and beneficent! I can trust myself here, and fear no menacing mysteries.” CHAPTER XI. MAURICE AROUSED. Mr. John Middleton, gloomy and morose, sat in the little lodging room, staring down blankly into the street, when a’ light step and a mellow whistle announced to him the ap- proach of his son Maurice. : ‘‘What a noisy creature you are!’ said he, querulously, as the door unclosed. ““Am I? Well, you will soon be freed from any trouble on my account. I have just made my arrangements to be. off.” “* Off ! Where, I should like to know? in a tone of keener interest. . **Oh, off to seek my fortune! Here, there, wherever it beckons!” | ““We ought to have made a fortune without seeking for it,” said Mr. Middleton, Sr., in an injured tone of voice. ‘« It was a terrible, terrible blunder, somehow.” — * But not a blunder of mine. You will give me credit for that, sir. To tell you the truth, it is partly on this 0 XD ea teh ib, 4 tt8 7 Sy, gf fries se ey ise Cie eo fae we Va rtarin wa ¥ CPE te te TR coh Se eee aa OUI C, aeee et od Te ee ho as est $a No we vues ROP | *~ bef . * fa : ee a , * _ J rey ys. cs - 4 + y ' p Fe. : : "7 i yt > *y hg 7] Ps at + : 7 ¥ > Ree * : pg ; ad : ©!’ gg : . ; - - aa + es ; : ie i . iy aT : ; ae J cS comicboo Go