The Widowed Bride — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

tad 3 THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 141 CHAPTER XIX. THE PLOT IS DISCOVERED. More than three weeks had passed since Lady Glenhamp- | ton had left London, and the days were beginning to grow | inexpressibly long and wearisome to Rena Percival. She was sitting, one day, curled up on a low velvet cushion, in a bay window, reading .a book she had selected ont of the library, when the gilt-paneled door opposite opened, and Lady Glenhampton’s tall, exquisitely-molded figure stood opposite to her, clad in a traveling suit, with arich scarf | looped lightly across her shoulders. Rena sprang to her feet at once. ‘‘Miss Percival!” her ladyship enunciated, in accents that betokened a by no means agreeable surprise; ‘‘you here ~ still!’ “Tam here still,” Rena answered, calmly, ‘‘in obedience to your ladyship’s injunctions.” And Blanche, who was a little behind, ran past her mother, — and flew into Rena’s arms, crying: “Oh, Rena, darling! Lam so glad to see you once again!” Rena Percival’s face, which had grown hard and cold as stone, softened once more in the dewy sheen ofLady Blanche’s soft eyes. | ““My dearest!” she murmured, surveying the fair young face with a tender earnestness; ‘‘you are better!—you are well?” «lhe sea air has done me so much good!” cried: Blanche, exultantly. <‘See! my cheeks are red now! But lam so olad to get back to you again, darling! Come with me to mv room, and see what a beautiful shell necklace I ee brought you!” And she dragged Rena away with her, scarcely allowi ing -her to pause long enough to greet Captain Evelyn, who had lounged into the room after his sister. For once, then, Lady Glenhampton, skillful tactician, though she was, had allowed herself to be out-generaled. She had fully counted upon solitude and neglect having the desired effect of driving Miss Percival back to the protec- tion of Hartford Lodge; and now the danger to Ernest was a Comicbooks.co