Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

Roanoke of Roanoke Hall, 223 She freely acknowledged our indebtedness to my grandmother, but the idea of the spiritual visitant disturbed her, and she reso- lutely refused to occupy the library, or even ‘to enter it after dark, so that for some _ months it was used but seldom. A time, however, arrived when it was thought advisable for her to retire to rest at an early hour, and I resolved to return in the evenings to what was, in truth, from old associations, the room I liked best in the house. As I sat before the great fireplace, smoking & pipe of that soothing weed which I have ever affected, my eyes sought the portrait of my benefactress, and I hoped she was able to feel the intense love and gratitude which I entertained for her. Surely, I thought, since she had been permitted to return to earth to succor me in my great distress, there must be some secret and unfathomable sympathy which should enable her to know my heart. Even as this gratifying hope was born with- in me I felt an assured conviction that I had not yet learnt all, that there was still some story the picture had to tell, What could it comichbooks.com