Roxy Hastings — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS. 231 “Oh, two gentlemen and a lady from New York—grand people—in the same train with me all the way from Liver- pool—have come after her.” | ‘*Goodness gracious me !” ‘Fact. And—and—one is— But I'll tell you when she comes. You just hurry her down, and don’t get ahead of me with the news.” ‘*No, no; you shall tell it.” Lucey soon came, preceded by the. three children, who had rushed in, crowding and pushing each other, and very properly, for once, setting at defiance the rules of de- portment, which their governess had been instructed elabo- rately to instill into them. Miss Holden knew whom she was going to meet, and she advanced smilingly, prepared to give her late lover quite a friendly reception, but his look and manner did not per- mit her to remain an instant in doubt that something un- usual had occurred. - He shook her hand almost fiercely. saying, with flushed face, as he did so: “How do? Glad to see you. Handsome as ever. Great ‘news. Glorious news. Wonderful news for you.” “Hor me? For me?” asked Lucy, turning pale. ' “Ves, yes. He’salive. He’salive. That other fellow, you know. I can’t think of hisname now. The man that went to the war, and was going to be hung, but wasn’t, for he got away, and he’s here now on the train with me. Be here in five minutes. Mr. Lee—Alfred Lee! That’s hisname. And his sister, and another gentleman.” Sputtering all this forth with amazing volubility, Kd- ward did not see the growing pallor of the listener, until, with a faint exclamation of joy, she sank, “like a snow- wreath,” to the floor, her white lips moving, but emitting no sound, while still her eager eyes were fixed upon the . speaker, as if she would hear further confirmation of the | joyous tidings. Delighted with the opportunity, the surprised young man lifted her to a sofa, and supported her upon it, while Mrs. Allard hastened to get wine and other restoratives, which she administered tenderly, calling her ‘‘my dear,” and seeming in an instant to lose all the harshness from her own nature. Lucy had not lost consciousness, and soon recovering her speech, she said with a sweet smile—though still tremb- ling violently : ‘‘Are—are you quite sure that all this is true?” (E(0) Gomicbooks