A Struggle for a Ring — page 224: what you’re looking at

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

220 A “SOCIETY” HOME. they only knew! How little hope there was for her, after all. | As day by day she listened, her hopes seemed, in some vague way, to grow fainter; it was all the world, the vain, cold, cruel world; it was all Mammon, nothing else—they ignored love. The honor for which the boy-heir had sacri- ficed so much was for them but a sound; so her hopes grew fainter. There was no room for love in these stately patrician walls—no room. ‘*We must have some visitors, mamma,” said Lady Ger- trude, one morning; ‘‘I have never seen the Abbey look more beautiful. I told you that the Pierponts were coming for August.” The countess sighed. ‘YT have never seen anything like that beautiful Lady Ethel,” she said. ‘‘She is the loveliest woman in Eng- land, without exception; and how strange it seems, Ger- trude, that, with all those brilliant offers, she has never married.” Lady Gertrude smiled significantly. ‘‘] have my own opinion, mamma, and if-it be as I think, it is not strange at all.” Lady Waldrove seemed to understand. She raised: her eyebrows. ‘«'That was the desire of my heart,” she said; ‘‘ but he ' was provokingly stupid.” Ailie listened with a heart aching, she hardly knew why, with bitter pain. Who was she, this brilliant Lady Ethel? and what was she coming for? @ (E(@) Comicbooks