A Struggle for a Ring — page 283: what you’re looking at

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

AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION. 279 CHAPTER XLI. AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION. Ailie had not much difficulty in getting back to her room. She was astonished to find how long she had been ‘absent; the stars were shining when she went out, now there was something very like the first gray tint of dawn in the skies. Another thing that startled her was, the door - of her room was open, and she remembered distinctly having closed it. Whether she had not fastened the lock, or whether some one had entered it, she could not say. She looked around; there was no trace of any strange presence. She.listened intently, but she could hear no sound, ‘‘Surely no one has been here,” she thought; ‘‘if 3? SO But the consequences were something of which she could not and would not think. It could not be possible. Who would be about the house at this time of night, or, rather, morning? She tried to reassure herself, but the fright had been terrible; her lips were white and dumb, her limbs trembled, her strength seemed to have left her. Then she tried to re- assure herself—to say to herself that it was all a nervous fright. She listened again and again; there was still no sound; then her courage returned. It must have been that she left the door unfastened. She listened for half an hour, then, all being silent, came to the conclusion that she had been mistaken. But there was no sleep for her and no rest. It seemed + | | “- ‘comicboo CS co