The Widowed Bride — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

i wn ewes Ca _ ”) e”6hCUw 24% a — ~~ | a we . eh S ; y 3 ; THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 133 CHAPTER XVIII. RENA EN MASQUERADE. Lady Blanche Arden parted from Miss Percival with many tears and affectionate protestations, although she was firmly convinced that their separation would be but for a few days; Lady Glenhampton, with a cold touch of the loved hand, and achilling inclination of the head, and Hetis found herself alone, except for the corps of servants always left in charge of the superb mansion in Grosvenor square. She walked through the echoing rooms, and, as she- paused in front of Lady Blanche’s door, one of the servants came up. “T was looking for you, Miss Percival,” she said. ‘My Lady Blanche’s court-dress have just arriv’, and my lady’s maid ain’t here, and “i ‘‘And so you thought I would do just as well, Dorcas,” said Miss Percival, with a slight shrug of her shoulders, ‘‘Very well, bring it into the dressing-room.” Not until the servants had uttered their exclamations of admiration at the beauty of the dress, and regrets that their young mistress could not be there to wear it into the yresence of her gracious sovereign, did Rena venture to lock the door, and herself contemplate the splendors of the ‘“court-dress.” | | It was of rich, heavy silk, of the color which exactly simulates the tender hues of a tranquil sea beneath the light of a June moon, the seams covered with seed pearls, | and every available place trimmed with a glimmering fringe of pearl, while the train of superb emerald velvet, exactly matched it in color, and avail of white tulle, sprinkled over with pearls, lay in its adjoining box, fastened to a wreath of white syringa buds mingled with green leaves. ‘It is a dress fit for a queen!” said Rena, half-alond. ‘I wonder how it would become me!” The thought scarcely entered Miss Percival’s somewhat capricious little head, before it was put into execution, and five minutes afterward, Rena stood before the long glass, in the glistening lights and shadows of the court-dress, the mn EComichbooks.co