Vashti's Fate — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

> pre a ~ - 4 . THE SEARED HEART. 65 the great hall, sat down, shivering and deathly white, upon the stair step, saying : | ‘Tt is no use, I can get no farther; go, quick, for Philip —quick, I must speak with Philip.” ‘Fortunately, Philip at that instant was crossing the hall from the dining-room. He came right to them; his kindly, but usually rather sad face contracting with pain, as he saw how ill Miss Gresham looked. She smiled feebly at him. | ‘‘T wanted to tell you something, Philip. Let me see— what was t—oh! if worse come to worse, Philip, trust him,” with a wavering gesture at Leon. The old man bowed, saying: ““Yes, yes, Miss Margery, I'll attend to everything,” and to Leon, ‘‘we shall have to carry her to her room.” ‘Hush, will you,” she said, angrily, ‘‘I am not so ill but I know what I am saying. I tell you, Philip, if worse comes to worse, this boy here-—he’s a wild, hair-brained young soldier, but his heart is a true one—there’s metal in him.” Her voice died to an indistinct murmur; her head dropped to her breast; they approached to lift her, but as they touched her, her spirit flashed up again. She rose, wearily, it is true, and would toil, step by step, up the stairs. At the top, overtasked nature gave way, she reeled into their outstretched arms, and the two bore her moaning to her bed. Elise came, Dr. Gracie came, and for weeks Margery Gresham was utterly unconscious of the things of this life. The doctor would suffer no one to approach her but Philip, his wife, and himself. The fever might be contagious, he said. at com = (ele) mn ebooks