Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

122 | On Christmas Eve. “What I ‘aba you he pould aay: my_ “ig } oral 3 earthly power can restore me to health. The fiat | forth—my days are numbered.” ais Hn ia i “These doctors know no more than sinee folks. 80 x betienea,”” Norah said, harshly. “I never had no great opinion of old — Sinclair, either. Don’t mind his croaking, Mise Helen. o LOM -: will be better by the spring.” UL kg waa _ “T hope so, Norah,” with a misty, far- -away es, in he | beautiful eyes—-“free from pain forever. Ah! what ‘is this? fa, A letter from France—from the Count de Montreuil! Norah, io ' where is Estella??? es “Out walking, as usual. The child will wear. eves? ‘off ie her feet. Yesterfay she went to Chelsea Beach, to look at her | old friend, the sea, she said. IL shouldn’t wonder hij what i - she’s gone ‘there again.” © : ‘ es But the mistress had not waihed for the answer. She hed Si torn open the large, official- looking envelope with. its: foreign — seal, and was glancing eagerly over the | contents. “Norah eh waited near the door. cari “What does he say, Miss alee: anal He iS not going to force away Miss Essie, surely 4 ” Io fi ae “He could hardly do that, ” Helen said, uptiites ° “He can not take Estella, unless Estella chooses to go.’ But he — wants her—yes. He is quite alone in the world now, he says— ~ the possessor of immense wealth, and the highest position — in the brilliant circles of Paris. A favorite ward, — the i daughter of a distant cousin, whom some “years. ago, rhe: | adopted as his heiress, has recently made a wealthy marriage, — and left him doubly alone. He wishes most ardently for his daughter. He asks me if it is fair to let old eit seepage ; between us, and keep Gaston De Montreuil’s:only child out — of the lofty sphere in which he can place her. aoe, Norah, I begin to think it is not.” “What!” exelaimed Norah, hilt, “You never ‘mean ae send the child away to that nasty foreigner—to that wicked, far-off city—among a pack of rubbishing French ? You | never mean to do it, Miss Helen!” | ‘Norah, that ‘nasty foreigner’ is the child’s father.” a testo MD “And what if he is? A pretty father he’ll be to hert: A. pretty husband he was to his wife! Don’t you do it, Miss its Helen, or you'll repent it all your life, and break the poor _ dear’s heart, besides. She’s lonesome enough, and. dismal ] enough, ever since that young man left last September with- — out that. Drat the men!” cried Norah, with a Cara ee “they’re all alike.” | . Miss Mallory smiled, but the smile ended i in a si a “hey make mischief wherever they go— ma Norah? Let us spanks our lucky stars that we, at le “comic book Be _G e ait 6 Aa} Waa rion eee it cheesy ibis NG : com Bhs