The Widowed Bride — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDR. 117 us at Har tford Lodge, and it is she that my sister is at pres- - ent visiting.” ‘Strange,’ muttered Mr. Eskett, the eyelids drooping over his near-sighted orbs, ‘‘strange. And I had supposed that that leaf of my life’s book was closed forever. We never know how strangely the threads of existence are inter- woven—we Call the great loom chance—yet every Christian knows that there is no such thing as chance. Yes, it is passing strange.” ‘If you are acquainted with Lady Blanche Arden, of course you know the story of the death of the little twin babies—the tragedy that filled Glenhampton with gloom for so many years,” said Mrs. Kskett. And as she spoke the same vision rose up before Alice Percival’s memory that had flashed across the mind’s eye of her sister as the Glenhampton barouche had rolled past the gray portals of St. Hilda’s Church. «l'o the memory of Allegra and Katherine, twin daugh- ters of Adelbert, Earl of Glenhampton,”’ with the words that followed, clear to- tell who have loved and lost babe- angels: ‘Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” ‘‘T never heard the story,” she said, turning to Mrs. Ks- kett. ‘Tell me of it, please: Is it a secret?’ | ‘Ralph must tell you,” said the rector’s wife, turning to her husband. ‘‘It all happened while he was a curate at St. Hilda’s doing the duty of an absentee rector, who drew the income and nursed himself and his gout at Hyeres. Don’t shake your dear old head, ay DPN know it is all true, every word of it.” ‘“Would you like to hear the history of a romance in real life, Miss Percival?” asked Mr. Eskett, mildly. ‘*There will be plenty of time to tell it before Thomas comes in to get your letter, and as your sister is now sojour ning at Glen- hampton Castle, it may be inter resting to you. ‘‘T should like it very much,” Alice answered; and then while Mrs, Eskett took the little girls upstairs to impress practically upon their minds the first section of the proverb: ‘‘Karly to bed and early to rise” the rector moved his chair where the light from the shaded lamp should not fall upon his weakening eyes, and, with Alice sitting in the low win- dow seat, opposite, began his story, EOomIcbooks.co