Vashti's Fate — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

LIGHTNING-S TRUCK. 277 out of her long, disheveled hair and dried it with towels, Margery Gresham and Elise removed her wet clothes. She submitted with dumb passiveness to them, like one in a trance, making no movement, not even to open her eyes, which looked as if glued together. They put dry robes upon her and got her into bed, but still she never moved or spoke. Nora hung over her, almost beside herself with grief and apprehension. “Talk to me, love—sister ; - just one word to your poor Nora. Do you know me, dear > Only open your eyes once and look upon me.” Vashti slowly moved her head from side to side, and was silent. ‘The three women, with woeful faces, looked at each other. Suddenly the poor girl started up, a with her eyes still closed, groped for the light, which Elise, who was holding it, instinctively yielded to her. She took it in one hand, and with the fingers of the other pushed up the lids of first one eye and then the other, passing the light so near as to almost scorch them, saying, with an accent of the most unutterable horror, ‘‘ Blind/ oh, Heaven, dlind/” and fell upon her knees, shuddering so violently that the very bed shook under her. An appalled silence sank upon the group. Miss Gresham was the first to break it, with an involuntary groan, and as, unable to control her feelings, she left the room, Nora _ knelt by the bed and buried her face in the clothes. Each felt instinctively that this was a blow too recent and terrible to be discussed, | Out into the storm again, which, though past its height, still raged violently, Hubert went to summon Dr, Gracie, 'COMICboo m (Ko)