A Struggle for a Ring — page 304: what you’re looking at

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

SS at, ° a 300 A A YOUNG LADY'S HINT. ‘‘ May I take some books for you, Lady Waldrove ?” It was more indolence than anything else that prompted the countess to say: ‘Yes; bring them, if you will.” They went altogether; and, looking at her rival, Ailie owned to herself that the Lady Ethel was beautiful beyond women. On this bright morning she wore a plain muslin dress, white as snow, and fastened with crimson ribbons; a garden hat shaded her eyes, and threw soft shadows on her face. | The countess made herself comfortable; her son loung- ing at her feet, Lady Ethel sitting by her side. They seemed to forget Ailie, who, with her books, sat at some little distance from them. They talked of people whose names were strange to her; but she noted with keen pain, even while he spoke to his mother, that his eyes were centered on Lady Ethel’s face. ‘He must love her,” thought the unhappy girt, ‘or he would not look at herso. He has not even glanced at me.” That was perfectly true. He had never looked at her after the first impatient glance, It was too irritating that he should be thus cg ea reminded of his folly—that unfortunate marriage which had once seemed to him the _ very height of honor. True, seated under the great cedar, with the soft light falling on her golden hair and fair face, she was beautiful as a vision. Yet her beauty did not touch him ; his heart beat no faster for it, his eyes took no deeper light as they fell on her. She was not his ‘‘ dream by the sea ;” and once finding her sweet, sad eyes fixed on him, he gave an impatient toss of his handsome head. ‘‘What a retinue you always like about you, mother,” he said, i> : ; Eomicboo 3. <i ee) m