The Widowed Bride — page 175: what you’re looking at

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

166 THE WIDOWED BRIDE. cided to accept a high diplomatic position at the court of Vienna, and left England, as it happened, forever. And it was with the wretchedness of his own patrician home in his memory that Lord Balfour resolved never to marry, but to devote himself entirely for the rest of their natural lives to his mother. Notwithstanding his resolution, he was forced, at last, to acknowledge to himself that his heart was captivated by the liquid brown eyes, rose-leaf cheeks, and bird-like voice of a girl who had neither descent nor fortune; who had set eti- quette, propriety, and truth itself equally at defiance, and who occupied a position not even so well defined as that of companion to the Lady Blanche Arden. ‘Balfour!’ said the Duchess of St. Burgoyne, solemnly, when her son, who had never been able to keep a secret from her since he was four years old, frankly confessed to her the new idea which had taken possession of his mind, ‘I believe you are crazy!” — You cannot believe it any more sincerely than I do, mamma,” owned up the marquis, with a comical uplifting of his eyebrows: “but it is a very pleasant sort of insanity!” ‘Do you really love that girl well enough to make her your wife?” ~ Yes,” he answered, gravely, ‘‘I do.” “Why, then,” said the duchess, “there’s but one thing for you to do in the matter.” “To go to Florence, or St. Petersburgh, or the shores of the Nile, I suppose you will say?” asked Balfour. ‘No; to marry her!” “That is just what I have made up my mind to do,” ob- served Lord Balfour; ‘‘that is, if she will honor me so far as to accept my offer. “She will do that fast enough,” said the duchess, with that blind confidence in the superior attractions of her son, as far as those of the opposite sex were concerned, which we often see in mothers. And, really, in this particular case, she had some reason for believing i in her son. ‘‘T am not so sure of that,” observed the marquis; ‘‘but if I should be sufficiently fortunate to win her consent, you will give her a welcome to Balfour House?” ‘““Of course I will,” answered the duchess, with hearty cordiality. ‘I'he woman who is worthy to be my son’s wife, is worthy ofa place in my heart, also.” comicbooks-co