A Silver Brand — page 291: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. LA 88g family was safely accomplished. I was so afraid of my father, and so overwhelmed with horror that I knew not what I did. After it, the full enormity of what I had done came over me, and made me more a coward than ever. I was called away again. A new horror dazed my brain—my young husband had been killed—killed or mur- dered, and noone knew that I had any claim upon him. While yet my brain was dazed with the anguish and hor- ror of all this, my sickness came upon me. My poor aunt, horrified and ashamed, took me to a hospital under a false name, and there my child was born. She made me leave it, and hurried me home in answer to Theodosia’s call for my assistance at the new charge; the babe of the Schwar- zenbergs, which had been given over to them almost at the moment of birth. It was necessary that its existence should be kept a profound secret, and while they were making ready for a departure to America, Theodosia sent me with the child back to my aunt’s. The moment she proposed it, the wild project leaped into my mind. The Silver Brand which had been used to mark the noble in- fant, was still in Theodosia’s possession. I stole it, and hurried away with the child. Do you see how Fate helped me? A poor creature in the hospital where my babe re- mained had given birth to a feeble little thing which died suddenly two days after its mother. I was alone in the ward, having taken the nurse’s place. It was an instant’s work to change the clothing. I put the dead babe in my own child’s place. I laid the heir of the Schwarzenbergs beside the dead woman, and the grandmother came back another hour and took itaway, and my own child I nursed and cared for, having marked her wrist with the Silver Brand. No one discovered, no one has ever suspected the deception. Do you understand? Is there need of my saying more ?” Lady Pauline came forward fiercely. “And my child—my true daughter,” she demanded. There was a wild cry of joy—a sudden rush, and Serena had flung herself at the lady’s feet. “Mother, mother! oh, my mother !” “Tt is true. She isright. Serenais your daughter,” spoke Penelope, faintly. Lina had turned away—had clasped both hands over her | eyes, and was sobbing bitterly. It was natural enough. The noble ancestry, the proud — , old home, the beautiful stately mother—it was hard to have them all swept away. Eomicbooks (Ele)