Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

_ diamonds, her glorious eyes outflashing her gems, her 163 They were’ binsa tials: eee sha ae gorgeous. ‘YOO te te ere filled. And amid all the belles of the night anita tea th dark splendor of her insolent. beauty, the first face Alwyn | - Bartram saw upon entering was the fatal face of Leonie! — ee _ He stood still, thrilling from head to foot. He bi ud mot ar tices. se atoad hefors Site! reaplaidlene: ta gos th d red lips curved in ceaseless smiles. More beautiful than he had ever seen her she stood before him—a fatal Circe to mad- & den men. pie She saw him ai dtaiatiee and smiled pay bowed, + moment later and she was before him, holding out her hand. — rah 2 “At last, Mr. Bartram, after an eternity of separation we * 7 meet again. But people always do meet again in New York. ‘And how remarkably well you are looking! digs among the 5 mountains agrees with you.” _ et He bent above the little dark hand, very pale, and with a @ strange glitter in his eyes. Ah, the old love was alive yeti “T ean return the compliment, Mrs. Rutherford—you are looking better than I ever saw you. I need. not. ask if you have enjoyed your summer tour; your face speaks for you. ‘Allow me to make you acquainted with my wite—Mrs. Buth-— E erford, Mrs. Bartram.” : ee And so they had met, the old lovers, and so ‘the two wives A stood face to face at last. Black eyes and brown flashed to- _ gether, in one steady glance. The rivals took each other’s measure in that first second of time. Then, twe tiny hands— one pearl white, the other dusk and blazing with diamonds 23 : elasped in hollow, outward friendship. _ 4 “T have so longed to meet you, dear Mrs, Pasar: » hei liant Mrs. Rutherford said, with her most bewitching a “T have heard of you so often, and your husband and Tare : quite old friends. And how do you like New Ld aera From that moment Estella had but a confused memory of d the events of that wretched night. Mrs. Rutherford drew her out for a little, found what she was made of, and coolly dismissed her. Her insolent smile. was at its brightest ae a she sailed off on the arm of her serf, Mr. Waldron. ine “Poor little thing!” she said, with a shrug; “so- pretty, so S helpless, so mute! One feels for her, really! An. that is Alwyn Bartram’s wife!” F “She is the sweetest little creature I ever met{? responded — Mr. Waldron, twirling his mustache; “and, by Jove! there’s only one other as lovely in the room! And you } pity Alwyn Bartram’s wife! Magnanimous of you, I must sa yt ER te Half an hour later, Leonie was whirling round the long ball-room in the arms of Estella’ S husband, 1 re