Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

Wie be, rd vn bine ah ef 154 Mrs. Rutherford neue | You want to weave your old chains, my beautiful Leonie— to enslave your old bondman once more; and 1 am to hold out my imbecile hands for the flowery fetters. You can’t meet ine in society, so you step a little out of your patrician way, and tace me on my own ground. The sulky mountain won't cam to Mohammed, so pretty Mohammed comes to the mountain. You have heard your slave has broken his chains and got wmatried to an heiress, and you can’t believe it, and you want to learn the truth from headquarters. Very well, my dear Mvxs, Rutherford, you shall. I will keep your ap- pointment 1 will be with you to-morrow night.” Just tem winutes later than the hour named, Mr. Alwyn Bartram rang. the door bell of that statel Fifth avenue mansion, aur was admitted at once by the soll weainicd lackey into the isumptuous drawing-room. Very sumptuous, in- deed; almoat \)arkaric in its splendor of gilding, and painting and color, and a Ltting chamber for the lovely little lady who sat alone in its vast grandeur. fhe arose and came forward, looking like the Queen of the Iairies, in, a robe that seemed | woven of ‘spun sunbeams, and with diamond stars blazing in lier dead-black hair. Had she dressed like this for him? No; Mrs. Rutherford was robed for a ball, and waiting had flushed her dark cheeks and kindled a streaming fire in her glorious eyes. She was more than beautiful—she was daz- zling; but if Alwyn Bartram was dazzled, his fixed and reso- lute face hid it well. She held out her hand with a long, — wistful, imploring look up in his eyes; but he just-touched it | with his cold fingers, and let i% fall. | _ “I hope I have not kept. you waiting, Mrs. Rutherford,” he j said, speaking first. “Hight was the haur, I believe. I must — beg your pardon for not returning your property sooner, but é really I have been so occupied of late that it quite, slipped my % memory. I think you will find everything correct here’—he 4 laid a little parcel before her on the table— ‘and L hope you | will not feel it inconvenient to let me have mine.” — B She looked at him with eyes that flashed. Every cold word \ te had stung her vanity to the quick. i “Tt is quite convenient, Mr. Bartram. I have aera ready.” She swept down the room and lifted a tiny package off the piano. “They should have been restored long since, could I — but have met you. You have turned sera I papeye and. | never go out now?” i ‘yn “By no means, Mrs. Rutherford. L go done a great deal. — But house-hunting is quite a new line of business. to me, y and house-hunting in this city in the month of January is — rather a formidable process. Besides, I have lost a friend | quite recently, as you may have heard.” anya “Ah! Your uncle?” hh | _comicbooks:com — >