A Silver Brand — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. 125 ° CHAPTER XII. “WHO ARE You?” When the dew began to fall and the brooding sunset shadows to gather on the water, Penelope Foss, holding fast to Lina’s hand, made her way forth from the Rock House and went down toward the beach, not, however, by the regular path nor toward the public landing-place. Her face showed marks of some severe mental strain, and was pale and weary looking. Lina kept glancing fur- tively toward it, and the vague awe it inspired forbade her to disturb its present composure by idle questioning. She only ventured to inquire: “Does Aunt Theodosia know that we have left the house, ‘Auntie Pen ?” ‘“Your Uncle Paul understands about it, and has in- structed me in reference to all my movements,” returned Penelope, listlessly, and then she added, with a quiver of emotion. in her voice, “Oh, Lina, if only you could have been content without these strangers, how much easier it — would be for me.” “Tt might be easier still if I could do without food, or air, or sunshine,” answered Wina, pettishly, ‘‘but it is im- possible to change one’s nature.” Penelope gave a long and troubled sigh. “This is a weary world,” she muttered, under her breath. “T think it might be a beautiful one,” exclaimed the im- pulsive Lina. “Iam sure when I hear Serena tell about her pleasant life at home it seems to me she must be as happy as the days are long. Think howI should enjoy teaching schooland coming home to you in a snug little home, where there was no restraint and no secret. It would be only a pleasure to work together, and the spend- ing of our tiny earnings would be a very luxury of enjoy- ment. Oh, Auntie Pen, if I were only free to come and go, and there were no haunting secrets, you and [I living together as Serena and her grandmother do, we might be the two happiest creatures in the world.” Penelope heard this girlish rhapsody not as one might suppose with the indulgent, pitying smile of superior GComicboo cS co