Ruby's Reward — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

At last it oceurred to her that, if she made the first move, the others would soon follow, and then, after the house was quiet, she could slip softly down stairs again and secure her treasure. So, with a halfsuppressed yawn, she laid down her book, and, rising, excused herself and bade her com- panions good-night. “Good-night, Miss Ruby.” Edmund Carpenter re- sponded, his keen eyes searching her face eagerly ; “hut I shall doubtless be here to greet you in the morning, for itis raining so bard I do not intend to return to town to-night. Pleasant dreams and a re- freshing sleep to you.” Ruby merely bowed iu reply as she passed from the room; but there was something in his tone that gave her a feeling of uneasiness. “He suspects me,” she thought, as she slowly mInountecd the staira, while she reasoned that if he knew the will bad been there in the interior of that desk and could not be found now, he must be sure that she had discovered aud concealed it; and she knew that she should not dare go down to the library for it while he remained in the house. When she awoke in the morning it was still raining, and, being darker than usual, she had slept later than she avas in the habit of doing. “T wonder if re has gone yet?” was her first thought, as she glanced at her clock and found that it was nearly eight. She arose and dressed, occupying more time than was her custom, so that if Edmund Carpenter had not gone, he might have plenty of time to take his departure before she went down, At last she stole quietly down stairs, and thought. she would just glance into the library before passing ou to the dining-room. But, as she turned the handle to the door, it resist- ed her efforts—it was locked, For a moment her heart.stood still, and she was gure “sesh that z was as Pn ste diamond ;”_ but with a resolute setting of her little ghin,ahe.told hersel” that she would not yield one ine omnibook tea |