Roxy Hastings — page 221: what you’re looking at

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

912 : ROXY HASTINGS. house. Edgar and I called. We were boarding at Mrs. Badger’s, next street; saw her then; have seen her since riding out with him several times.” ‘With Alfred ?” “Of course! And very loving they were, too. I’m so glad he’s got over it. And Edgar thinks she’s very rich, — too, for she does dress splendidly.” Mrs. Holden had heard enough. She bade her loqua- cious friend good-by, and went home heart-sick, without attempting further to prosecute her errand. How could she? Even if there were room for some faint doubt of the new engagement, how could she—almost a pauper—go to this millionaire and hint, even most remotely, at the topic on which she had come to speak ? If Alfred Lee had remained a poor man she might have approached him on this subject, but the two families had completely changed places in society since he had proposed for Lucy, and had been rejected for his poverty alone. Then Mrs. Welles’ story of the new engagement was by no means improbable, and how. would the mendicant mother look, seeking to revive a dead passion for her daughter, under the very roof which sheltered a new and innocent claimant to the heart and hand of Alfred Lee? It was impossible. She utterly abaridoned the thought, and she wrote to her daughter, urging her return, without making any allusion to her late lover, but informing her of their own changed fortunes, and of Mr. Burr’s marriage, and assuring her that no restraint or coercion should ever be exercised toward her again in reference to matrimony. When Miss Blythe called for the letters the anxious mother, still hesitating as to whether Lucy ought not to be undeceived in regard to Mr. Lee’s death, consulted her un- known friend about it, and was not surprised to find that the latter was entirely ignorant even of the name of Miss Holden’s lover. She had promised me her full confidence on this subject hereafter,” Mary said, “but all that she told me was that he went into the army and was killed.” The story of Alfred’s wonderful escape, and the cruel manner in which it had been kept secret from Lucy, she now heard for the first time, with unutterable amazement. ‘‘And are you quite sure,” she asked, ‘‘of the truth of what you heard yesterday about Mr. Lee’s great wealth ?” ‘‘T have not a doubt of it.” “ And—and about his—” “I have not mentioned his name in my letter to Lucy,” EComicbooks.com —