Roxy Hastings — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

148 ROXY HASTINGS. Well done for Jedediah. ‘““Mr. Burr!” exclaimed the widow, half averting her face, and half hiding the real blushes that mantied her cheek, ‘‘are you in earnest ?” ‘‘Never more so—never half as much so in my life, Mrs. Bright. Will you accept me?” ‘““With all my heart,” said the lady, frankly, extending her hand, for she was too candid to affect a reserve that she did not feel. The lover took the offered hand and kissed it, or rather he kissed the glove which enveloped it, but he pronounced it unsatisfactory, and he at once aspired to the widow’s lips, which were not refused him. ‘‘I decided on it Thursday afternoon,” he said; ‘‘and I have no doubt we shall be very happy.” ‘‘T am sure we shall,” said the lady, with one of her brightest smiles, ‘* only—only I fear—” ‘Fear! Pray, don’t use that word, my—my dear ma- dam.” ‘‘That the children—so many of them—” ‘Not a bit of it. I wouldn’t mind twice as many—such nice ones. Why, they’ll be the life of the house.” — “You are very, very kind.” ‘What difference does it make? I’ve plenty of money, and I begin to think there’s as much pleasure in spending it as in making it almost.” 1 Adversity had done Jedediah good. He was just finding his heart, which had been covered up for a quarter of a century, under a mass of rubbish. He had begun to feel for other people. ~ Before the drive terminated everything was settled. The wedding was to be put off a few months out of considera- tion for the feelings of the Holden family, and in the meantime the engagement was to be kept strictly secret, — except that the lady was at liberty, if she chose, to divulge - it to her daughters. In pursuance of this plan Jedediah and his blooming fiancee, after another short visit to the children, recrossed the river, and parted where they had met, at the ferry, whence the widow pursued her way home by stage, re- volving her suddenly changed fortunes. comicbooks:cor