The Widowed Bride — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 9 deep semicircular chancel, where the blues, and ambers, and crimsons of the stained-glass windows played softly over the stone floor and carved altar-rails, while an irregu- larly built transept extended to the south, and two monu- mental figures cut in stone, to represent sleeping warriors, guarded either side. ‘‘Grandpapa,” whispered Alice, who was looking on with an awe-stricken face, ‘‘are they men?” ‘(What nonsense!’ said the less impressible Rena; ‘‘don’t you see they are only stone? And oh, what a curious place, all hung round with crimson silk curtains, and a little stone fire-place, like a real house, and an eagle and a dagger cut into the wall over it.” “Come away, child, come away; that’s my lord’s pew,” said Jason Garfield, glancing apprehensively over his shoul- der, as if expecting some chiding sexton or bell-ringer to appear. “Ts it a pew?’ demanded audacious Rena, ‘and why is © it so different from the others. Who is my lord? and = ‘Oh, sister, see!’ chimed in little Alice, who stood be- fore a beautiful mural tablet let into the wall half-way down the main body of the church, ‘‘two beautiful little angels clasped in each other’s arms, and letters in white marble! Come and read!” Jason Garfield stood leaning on his stick, his face singu- larly ghastly in the green light streaming down from a western oriel window, as Alice and Rena, standing hand in hand, slowly spelled out the inscription on the wall: ‘To the memory of Allegra and Katherine, twin daugh- ters of Adelbert, Earl of Glenhampton, who died June 21, 18—, aged two yearsand fifteen days. Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven!” “Come away, children, come,” he said, huskily; ‘‘the bell will be ringing for evening service, soon, and we must not be found vagabonding about here! Come, I say!” “But, grandpapa!” pleaded Alice, *‘I want to look at the marble angels more! Did you know about Allegra and Katherine? What made ’em die? Who is Adelbert, Earl of Glenhampton? Tell me all about it, grandpapa!” But Jason Garfield had hobbled out of the church. Rena reluctantly followed him, and Alice, who had no fancy to be left alone in the big, echoing building, even in the com- Eomicbooks.co nm