Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

16 OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. ing me shut up and close. If that breeze could get | in to me it would be a relief in itself.” : The nurse, with a patient smile of resignation to the peev- ishness of an irritable nature, as well as to the nervousness of illness,-went to the windows and looped the damask dra- pery as far back as possible. And the sweet, cool air flut- — tered the gray locks from the full, pallid forehead of the in- valid at its own fitful will. He raised himself on his elbow | and looked out longingly. ‘‘Oarry off that light,” said he, in a moment after, frown- Ing a glance toward the little silver nurse-lamp, which shed a faint glare from the marble slab of the chimney-piece. It was removed, and the room left to the tender gloom of a star-lighted sky. The old man, chafing so ang? ily against the decree which held him to a bed of sickness, sat up against pillows, sup- porting himself by one trembling arm, and stared out wildly, fiercely, yearningly. ~ How beautiful it looked to him. ‘The narrow glimpse of clear sky studded brightly with stars that shimmered and shone upon him with a solemn glory which startled and awed him, and the branching boughs of elms which stirred fearlessly at the lightest breath of the breeze. What a price- less inheritance it would be to be sent out again into this outward world with health and strength for his companions. How insignificant looked all other. possessions, however much he had hitherto prized them. General Geoffrey Wainwright, the stern, haughty old aris- tocrat, looking out from that sick-room, face to face with those solemn stars, felt all the boasted trappings of circum- stances, and station, and fortune dropping off from him; shuddered, writhed, agonized, but could not escape from seeing that at last he was only a naked soul, like that of the veriest plowman or beggar in the street, drifting—ah, so surely and swiftly with the ebbing tide—whither? . . +s pa, " = ‘ = - x PL OP. ad ee ~~ wee : red - >a : 3 ==) Le . om |