Vashti's Fate — page 306: what you’re looking at

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

- a 5 > + . he spk ~~ a SS = ~,% : ~~ 7 ~ _— :" ee THE MEETING. 301 off, pretending to dodge behind the trees, but unable to keep his hungry eyes back from their quest. She put her finger on her tremulous lip with an emphatic warning gesture, and, dropping her work, went and put both arms round her sister’s neck. | ‘““T believe God is going to give you a great joy, sister,” ~ she said, gently. Vashti returned her caress. ‘God is good, dear,” she answered, as gently. ‘‘Could you bear to hear a very great, grand piece of news?” kissing her. ““News, Nora—what news could affect me? Let me see—I expect no news that I can think of What can it be?” playfully, and with brightly-interested expression. ‘‘Something you don’t expect, Vashti—think. What would you ask God to do for you this minute, if you were going to crave the removal of one of the afflictions he has laid on you?” Bravely Nora kept her agitation out of her voice. Vashti struggled a moment with some rising emotion. “‘Nora, Nora! why do you ask me that? Mamma can- not come back to me.” ‘““No; but somebody else might,” restraining herself with difficulty from tears, and with her tones broken in spite of her. “What is it you mean?” Vashti exclaimed, seizing her passionately, and the next instant losing her *hold. fae | should indeed be presumptuous to hope that 2 She paused, and seemed lost in thought. Nora scarcely breathed as she watched her sister. Vashti put her hand on Nora’s face. ‘There are tears on your cheek, and your voice did (G(e) sf ee ele ; Ecomicbooks mn