A Struggle for a Ring — page 222: what you’re looking at

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

218 A “SOCIETY” HOME. ‘‘Come in,” said the countess, languidly. Then Lady Gertrude entered the room. Ailie looked at her with admiration. She was not what the world would call a beautiful woman, but she had a beautiful figure, fine dark eyes, fine dark hair, and a beautiful mouth; she was patrician from the crown of her proud head to her pretty, arched foot—high-bred, elegant, with a sauve grace of manner. Ailie almost devoured her with her eager glance. Lady Gertrude went gently to her mother’s couch; they touched each other’s hands with a gentle, cold touch, then Lady Gertrude laid her lips for half a moment on her mother’s brow. Ailie thought of the hour’s kissing and caressing that followed her mother’s absence from them, and wondered. | ‘Vou are looking well, Gertrude,” said the countess. ‘‘T am well, mamma, I thank you,” was the reply. Then Floss began to bark; Castor and Pollux followed suit. ‘‘VYour little friends are pleased to see me, mamma,” said Lady Gertrude. Then the countess, turning languidly to her daughter, said : ‘This is Miss Derwent, my companion. I wrote to you about her.” Ailie blushed as two beautiful dark eyes, so like Vivian’s, looked into her cwn. Lady Gertrude did not hold out her hand, but she bowed, with a kindly smile, and Ailie said to herself that in time she should win her liking, then she would ‘have one friend secured at least. - The arrival of Lady Gertrude made some little difference to her—she was no longer the sole companion of the countess. Poor Ailie! the more time she passed with those two ladies, the more she listened ta their conversation, the more hopeless (E(0) cComicbooks