Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

PD ee a - &. >a” m3 74 wee Lec & . Sit ‘ Bs OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. 27 _. * Because it is all nonsense, my darling; utter nonsense. * They are impostors. Didn’t Screw or Scattergood tell you they could not even prove the marriage of their parties? Supposing that Gustavus Wainwright and Augustus Mid- dleton were really one and the same, they have no proof positive, such as the law requires, that he married Jane Middleton. They have no certificate, no church record,” cried the general, rising up again from the pillow, a round spot of feverish red gathering on his sallow cheek. ‘‘Hather,”’ asked Octavia, dropping her voice a little, ‘‘if they should succeed in the suit; if this property of old Hugh Wainwright’s were taken away from us, what should we have left—you and I ‘‘Beggary and ruin!” was the hoarse reply. Miss Wainwright withdrew the shapely white hands from his and clasped them together. ‘The full, red lips straight- ened also, and took on a firm, set look, which, for all the unlikeness of tint and form, was singularly a counterpart of the general’s grim, square Jaw. “Well,” said she, ‘‘as I told you before, Screw & Scat- tergood are a little disturbed by a new development. You are aware that there is a detective secretly watching all the Middleton movements. ‘They have got hold of an old, broken-down Hast India merchant, and he, Screw & Scat- tergood say, insists that he knew all about Gustavus Wain- wright’s change of name, and was present at his marriage. He says his father was a captain in the regiment in which Arthur Wainwright served as a lieutenant; that he, himself a young lad, was warmly attached to this Arthur. He tells, very accurately, the date of Gustavus Wainwright’s appearance in India, who, it seems, sought his cousin out the moment he arrived. He knew just when he left for Australia, and he and his father went out to Australia, in- response to the invitation of Gustavus, two years after Ar- thur’s death, and were fortunately just in time to be present Comicboo ae Poe! hee xe ae a OS Be ee ge Yt ee Re ME ee OE we BA By tN a) te. be tpa" v; Xe ae ee he ; ade re bk , SENS © ; ay’ ee Ay my aan es 7 C| \ x a Patt . - fi 4: ‘ 7 2 tt f 1» “ ; ‘ 3 Ti ih 7 7 : FS rhs a* 3 a : . : Le a , . . ; ; ‘ . “S