Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

80: OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. She kissed him again, and left him, looking leat a6 and fondly after her. She looked into the library, Sut Felix was not there. He came down the stairs, however, just as she was crossing the hall below, and she noticed at once that he was more care- fully dressed than usual. ‘Are you going away? I was just about to ask for your company to hear the testimony in this curious trial which commences to-day,” she said, carelessly. <‘‘ Perhaps you will not care to go?” ‘Qn the contrary, [ am very anxious to be present,” he answered, seat he slightly; ‘‘though I did not expect to | accompany you.’ ‘““Are you ready now? The carriage 1s Sait I be- heve.”’ ‘‘Quite ready,” was the brief reply, as he took her shawl — from the maid’s arm, and led the way out. Miss Wainwright was conscious of something peculiar in his look, but was hardly interested enough to fathom it.- She settled herself among the cushions of the carriage, leaned back her head, and dropped her vail. Felix was equally abstracted and silent. As the carriage drew up before the building in which the judge of the shire held his court, the latter started nervously, and said hastily, in a voice half-stifled with some mysterious emotion: ‘‘Miss Wainwright, if this trial should conclude in a different manner than you expect, I wish you would re- member that—that I am your friend 3 She put up her vail to look curiously into his face, and said, half disdainfully: ‘Of course, I do not expect you are an enemy, Felix. And as for the trial, I have told you, before this, that I am not afraid.” Felix sat gnawing impatiently at his lip. comic | boo ree Ye ey | a) a co m