Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

48 | OCTAVIA’S PRIDE, ° into his face, when she shut her red lips together with her father’s sternness, and a frown wrinkled her fair, smooth forehead. It was singular how, without a word, scarcely a look or gesture, she managed to freeze him with the con- sciousness of her icy displeasure. Octavia Wainwright was no coquette. ea LS Felix Thorne—as Miss Wainwright only knew him— gathered together his dissolving wits, braced himself with a desperate effort, and in a moment had resumed his ordinary free and easy but decorously respectiul manner. ‘<T think there is a communication from General Wain- wright’s solicitors. It bears their seal, at least,” he said, quietly. She stretched out her white, somewhat large but sym- metrical hand, retreating into the drawing-room as she did so. Felix followed, with the look of one accustomed to share her perplexities, if he might not venture to seek her love. Miss Wainwright went up to the marble chimney-piece, and leaning against it for support, broke open pny letter with an impatient hand. Her eye ran over the closely written lines with swift, flaming glances, and when she had finished, she folded it carefully and restored it to its envelope. — Felix had watched her’ face closely, passionate love and fierce anger flaming up in his heart. ‘‘ Well,” said she, slowly taking up a mantle which was thrown carelessly over a chair near her, ‘suspense, at least, “will be spared us. ‘The case is coming on in three days.” ‘“So soon?” said Felix, dropping his eyes to the floor; “‘and are they prepared?” | ‘‘As well as they ever will be,” answered Miss Wain- wright, a slow smile playing over her face. He looked up now. : ** And you are not disturbed, Miss Wainwright: as “‘comicbooks.com