The Widowed Bride — page 204: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 195 tal poor place for the likes of you, but it’s clean as soap and sand can make it.” Upon a low wooden bedstead, opposite the door, and di- rectly beneath a slit-like window, lay a very aged woman, propped up by pillows, and with her yellow hands crossed on the cutside of the coverlid. Her face was as sunken and rigid as that of a corpse, and the nose and chin nearly met. The light blue eyes, plainly visible through the half-ciosed lids, shone with a strange, glassy luster, and the disheveled gray hair lay loose over the pillow, like the wild tresses of a pictured Fury. ‘‘T can’t keep a cap on her head, do what I will,” apolo- gized Hester, trying to smooth the stray looks; ‘‘so I’ve Just giv up a-tryin’. Granny, granny, the rector’s come all the way from Tregarvan to see you,” she added, raising her voice to a high-pitched scream. Mr. Eskett advanced to the bedside, saying solemnly: ‘‘Peace be to this house, and all that dwell in it.” Lord Glenhampton leaned silently against the wall, and Alice stood by the door, marveling at the strange scene in which she found herself, and half-terrified, in spite of her resolution to be brave. Old Elison’s drawn face stirred with some dim perception of what was passing around her. ‘‘He’s very kind, and I’m thankful to him, lass,” she an- swered, in a shrill, piping voice; ‘‘but there ain’t nothing he can do for me. It’s all atween me and my Maker now.” “Tell her who is here, Hester,” said Mr. Eskett, with a motion of his hand toward Lord Glenhampton. ‘‘Granny!” shrieked Hester again, ‘‘there’s a grand gen- — tleman come with him from furrin parts—the Karl of Glen- hampton,” and Hester unconsciously courtesied as she uttered the august name. _ Elison Polwheal opened her eyes wide and strove to lift her head from the pillows. ‘‘Harl of Glenhampton?” she repeated. ‘‘Who is it that’s talkin’ about the Earl of Glenhampton? I knew his lord- ‘ship once, but that was years ago.” ‘‘He’s here now, granny!” cried Hester. And at the same moment the earl advanced to where she could see his face. For an instant she stared fixedly at him, as if to be certain that it was really he whom she beheld, mn . Gomicbooks (el)