Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 226: what you’re looking at

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

216 OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. plant, which the gardener says will bloom to-night. I will ask her then.” “And come to my chamber with the answer; I shall not be asleep. Stay, there is a ring in my casket. ‘The rose diamond, you know; use that for the engagement-ring.” “Thank you, mamma. It is not too costly for my peer- less Octavia, though I should not have dared.to ask for it. Give me your good wishes again for good luck.” She kissed him fondly, and laid her hands on 1 his head in mute blessing. Lord Ronald went away wondering at the sohbet of the act. That evening he led Octavia into the conservatory, which extended by terraces to the very gate-way of the park. Lady Chichester was very proud of her greenhouses, and had taken great pains to secure tasteful as well as compe- tent gardeners. ‘The conservatory was large enough for a ball-room, and arranged with due regard to its being a win- ter resort for the guests, with wide marble-flagged walks, and bamboo settees, and sparkling fountains, quite clear from the usual impression of crowding the plants so closely together as to hide half their beauty. Lord Ronald had been shrewd enough to refrain from communicating the gardener’s announcement to the rest of the guests, and he had a clear field before him as he entered. upon the fairy scene with the beautiful Octavia upon his arm. She uttered an exclamation of delight at the effect of the colored lights disposed around the central fountain, and they made a circuit of the building, glancing at all its won- ders, and admiring, to the gray-haired gardener’s content, its wealth of fragrance and loveliness, before they took seats before the star of the evening—the blossoms whose delicate petals were all aflutter with the first thrill of life. The gardener stood by and gave them its history, speak- cs ~ comicboo (ee)