Roxy Hastings — page 249: what you’re looking at

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

( 240 ROXY HASTINGS. - / a couple of moon-struck lovers who might; just as well have been happy a month sooner. Little remains to be told, yet there wasa little business matter left by the lieutenant in the hands of his brother, of which it is necessary to speak. | “She knows nothing of her parent’s poverty. She must not come home and find them in such a place as that,” he said. ‘ Will you see to this?” ‘““T will see to it,” Charles replied, and he did. To the boundless astonishment of Mark Holden, who was a wonderfully humbled man, and who did not interfere with his movements, he bought and furnished a pleasant - house, which he presented to Lucy’s mother in the name of her future son-in-law, presenting her at the same time with a sum of money sufficient to relieve the family from any present embarrassment, and to enable them to receive their returning daughter with some semblance of their for- mer prosperity. The bliss of that reunion we shall not attempt to portray, nor the surprise and joy with which Lucy heard after she had reached home, for on this subject Alfred’s lips had been sealed before, of the great affluence to which her lover, and her future husband, had risen. The lieutenant did not allow many months to elapse be- fore he was entitled to that new appellation, and Louis Hartley, or Louis Eldon, as he must now -be called, had hoped that he should be able to celebrate his own nuptials with Laura at the same time. But to this Miss Lee would not consent. Charles’ mar- riage was not to take place in less than a year in conse- quence of Roxy’s youth, and Laura said that was soon enough for her. If she was worth having she was worth waiting for, and Louis gallantly said that he would wait half a century rather than marry any one else. The year was not long in passing. What year which the reader looks back upon seems now to have been longer in passing than the time consumed in reading this page ? | Roxy resumed her school, and continued a diligent, earnest student up to within a month of that memorable double wedding which made brides and sisters of her and Laura, and exultant Benedicts of Charles and Louis—noble- hearted both, and brothers now in fact as they had long been in spirit. : They were married at church, but let us take a glance at that festival which followed in Charley’s large mansion, and see whom we recognize among the merry guests. Gomichbooks co ities I EN ye he ef oe “ el ey bg : * ae . } : hag] ] ity I, phn si mse, é 7