The Widowed Bride — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

122 THE WIDOWED BRIDE. curt monosyllables, as if the common scans around her hold her in fear and dislike as a witch, for we are supersti- tious folks here in Wales. She is weary of her life, but Death does not always come when he is most longed for, and I do not see but that she is likely to live to be a hundred, for the Polwheals were always a long-lived race.’ “But how does she live? Who provides for her?’ asked Miss Percival. “T believe Lady Glenhampton makes her a yearly allow- ance in consideration of her faithful services before the last terrible catastrophe. It shows that the countess must have a kind heart.” — “Then she did not marry this farm-servant after all?” “Oh, no; he went off to the Continent, and married some one else, I suppose; it is the general ending of all such ill- - assorted love affairs.” ‘“‘T should like to see her,” said Alice, musingly. “So you shall some time when Theresa goes up Ut te on he 1s ghastly sight. If you are at all imaginative, she will ene you of some one whom death has somehow forgotten—a But she is rather interesting, too, as a relic of the past. Now, tell me, honestly,” said the rector, rousing Alice from a reverie into which she was unconsciously allowing herself to drift, ‘‘are one of her errands of long-suffering kindness. corpse marvelously endowed with galvanic life. you tired of my long story?” ‘Tired? Oh, no; I have been more interested than I can tell you. id wonder,” she added, ‘‘if Rena knows of it! 97? ‘“Most probably she does, if she is, as you say, the bosom friend of Lady Blanche.” ‘It is not a family secret?” Oh, no—not at all; why should it be? Only, of course, it is not a favorite topic of conversation with the family, for, as I have told you, Lord Glenhampton has never recov- ered from the loss, and it is his wife’s constant endeavor to cheer him, and induce him, as far as possible, to forget the melancholy past.” Mrs. Eskett came down at this moment, and the conver- ~ gation took another turn. But after Alice had gone to her little room that night, she wrote another long epistle to Rena, in sn she de- HLee) ofeye) nf a a eal ~ : oe 7, : | - . ; | ow aL es _— 2 =“ —_— - ~ = . * =* ~ =