Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

. 76 OCTAVIAS PRIDE « and, throwing up her arms wildly, staggered against the wall. | | “Dead! dead! Arthur Morley dead! Oh, pitiful Heaven!” The dressing-maid in the room beyond heard aslight cry, and came into the room to find her mistress lying between the curtains parted by her fall, with Closed eyes and clenched hands, nearly if not quite insensible. Her assiduous efforts restored consciousness. Lady Mary’s pale lips asked, hastily: ‘‘ You have alarmed no one, Delicie?” “No, your ladyship.” “That is well. It was very thoughtful of you. Bring me a cordial and a glass of cold water. I shall be better presently. I must go down to the drawing-room, for the’ countess will be exceedingly indignant. Make my excuses to Miss Wainwright, and say that I beg of her to remain to-night.” She took the cordial and drank eagerly of the water, and then Delicie went into the boudoir to perform her errand. . 1 * " amt =— ~~ Ss eee NS Es Lady Falkner clasped her hands across her heart, and murmured, in a voice of unutterable anguish: “‘Dead! dead! and never a word of forgiveness for me! Too late! too late for forgiveness or atonement! Oh, Arthur Morley, hard as your fate was, it has been bliss in compari- son to mine! You have gone to obtain a saint’s, a martyr’s reward, and [—live on in gilded misery, hiding my hateful secret, concealing my remorseful woe!” She sat there a little longer, pale, weary, languid; but when Delicie returned, she said, hastily: «You must get me a glass of wine, Delicie, and I believe you may touch my cheeks with rouge. And perhaps you had better give me your arm to the drawing-room door. I must get through the evening somehow. Are the gentle- » comicbooks.co