A Struggle for a Ring — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

"4 AN OLD MAN’ CHEERED. make such a wonderful difference, after all. _I look quite as happy as Alice, with all her great marriage. ” ‘‘T suppose, my dear,” said Mrs. Derwent, ‘‘that you met with this gentleman in Germany. It seems very strange. You are quite sure that you are properly mar- ried ?” ‘‘Oh, yes, mamma,” replied Alice, with a deep blush; ‘‘T am quite certain of it—there is no mistake.” ‘That is right, my love. Your father did say that he should question Mr. Nelson ‘about it; but really he seems so high and mighty I should be quite afraid.” Alice bent down and kissed her mother. ‘*T should not like you to do that,” she said; ‘‘it would distress me very much indeed. Take my word for it, mamma, that there is no mistake about it; my husband was quite as anxious as ever you could be.” ‘‘T am glad to hearit. You look very well, Alice, my love, and very beautiful. You are just what I was myself as a girl; What is your husband—does he follow any trade or profession ?” ‘“No, mamma; he has means of his own,” was the modest reply, while to herself she thought what will they say when they know that he is an earl’s son? , rest of the time was spent in describing the presents ght from Paris, with Alice’s beautiful trousseau. “You are a lucky girl,” cried Hettie, as she folded up a rich gray silk trimmed with silver fringe; ‘‘you are for- 3 b tunate, 1 wish I were in your place. He must love you - very dearly, this Mr. Nelson, to have bought you so many things.” ‘If they knew,” thought poor Alice again, ‘‘that he had married me, as he says, to save my honor, and him- self from reproach, what would they say?” ww. (ele) Eomicbooks. m