Stella Rosevelt — page 341: what you’re looking at

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

MRS. RICHARDS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS. 335 little startled to know that they had been so near the brink of ruin as he had represented. She returned to her own room, picking up the morning paper, which lay upon the hall table, on her way. Sitting down, she ran her eye carelessly over its columns, while her mind was busy planning some way to get along without her accustomed full purse, and ‘‘ keep up appearances,” Suddenly her glance was transfixed by a paragraph which sent sharp, prickling pains throughout her body, and every nerve quivered with excitement as she read: ‘¢The heirs, or nearest of kin to Sir Charles Thornton, late of Halowell Park, Devonshire, England, will find it to their advantage to communicate at once with Compton & Bailey, No. 54 Lincoln’s-inn-fields, London.”’ Just below this advertisement was a notice of the sudden death of the young baronet from diphtheria. Mrs. Richards sat like one overcome by some violent shock for a few moments after reading this account. ‘Then springing to her feet, and taking the paper with her, she went back in hot haste to her husband, her cheeks crimson, her eyes glowing with agitation. » | ‘‘Tf what I suspect should prove to be true, the dream of my life will be realized. Sir George and Lady Richards would sound very well, indeed,” she murmured as she went. Her husband looked up as she entered, and she was startled as she noticed how pale and care-worn his face had become; but she was too eager to communicate her news to pay much heed to it. ‘‘George,” she said, eagerly, ‘‘ read this!” She laid the paper before him as she spoke, and pointed to the paragraph which had excited her so. ‘¢ Well, I have read it, but I do not understand it; I do not know anything about Sir Charles Thornton,” he returned, in- differently. ‘What are you thinking of, George Richards!” cried his Gomicbooks (E(0)