Ruby's Reward — page 333: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Gordon was sitting by herself near a window, and dressed in fresh mourning; but Ruby was not visible. Edmund Carpenter was seated at a table in earnest couversation with the counsel for the prosecution. He had looked up, and nodded pleasantly to Mrs, Gordon as she entered the room, and then resumed what he was saying to the lawyer, Presently the door opened again, and Mr. Ruggles entered, and Walter’s face grew ghastly white as le saw that he also was alone. “Mr. Conant, will you kindly ask Mrs. Gordon where Miss Gordon is?” he asked his friend, and un- able to endure the suspense another moment, The gentleman arose to comply just as Mrs. Gor- don herself espied Mr. Ruggles, and started up to greet him, asking eagerly why Ruby had not come with him. The man turned and looked at her in amazement. “Well, marm, that strikes me as a rather queer question,” he answered, giving her a searching look. “How could she come with me when she has been with youin Harrisburg all these weeks ?” | “Been with me!’ repeated Mrs. Gordon, with a! dazed look. ‘‘What do you mean?’ | Mr. Ruggles’ face lost much of its natural ruddy glow at this inquiry, for he saw that her astonish- ment was genuine. “I—T hope, marm, that it’s all right, but TJ haven't seen Miss Ruby since about two hours after you left Forestvale to go to your sister. Then she wanted to go to Redville, and urged me to take her home with me that afternoon, inspite of the rain; but she sent me word later that she’d decided it was best to join youin Harrisburg; so, of course, I had to vo back without her, which, I'm free to say, was a great dis- appointment to both mother and me.” Mrs, Gordon involuntarily turned her white, start- | led face toward Edmund Carpenter, instinctively feeling that he might be able to explain eavhcrecbicaw