A Struggle for a Ring — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

ne A MOTHER'S STRATAGEM. of a beautiful lily, or rather rose; she will not bea woman of the world for some time yet.” ‘‘Mother,” said Lord Carsdale, ‘‘having told me so much, tell me a little more. Who is she?—what is her name?” *She is the Lady Ethel Pierpont, the only daughter and heiress of the Earl of Pierpont. His seat is Mount Pleasant; he-has Falmouth Park also. But you know the family, although you have not seen the Lady Ethel.” ‘« Ethel Pierpont,” he said to himself; ‘‘it is a beautiful name, mother.” ‘Yes; but we will not talk any more about it, Vivian. Place the picture where you found it, and bring me my fan.” This time he obeyed, and his clever, diplomatic mother smiled when she heard him, half an hour afterward, hum- ming the air of the old song: ‘¢Tf she be not fair to me, What care I how fair she be ?”’ The countess was pleased; her little plot was progress- ing favorably. That same evening she called Lady Gertrude to her. “Gertrude,” she said, ‘‘I saw your brother talking to you very gravely after dinner; would you mind telling me what he was saying? Of course it was nothing con- fidential.” Lady Gertrude was accustomed to her mother’s diplo- macy—nothing ever surprised her. She answered, simply : ‘‘T can have no possible objection to telling you every word, mamma. Vivian was asking me all about the Pierponts. ” | | _ Lady Waldrove could have laughed alond, he ( PAST, cComicbooks::