The Widowed Bride — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 205 true-hearted woman is one of the noblest of God’s creatures —a false and wicked one the worst!” Papa,” said Allegra, softly, her violet blue eyes fixed upon his face with a wistful, entreating tenderness. ‘‘Papa, do not think of that any more. It is over and past, and all that remains for us is to forget and forgive.” Captain Evelyn, whose ideas on the subject of the discoy- ery of his beautiful young wife’s true birth were rather vague and confused, inasmuch as all that he had heard was that the lost twin daughters of the house of Glenhampton proved unexpectedly to be no other than Rena and Alice Percival, looked puzzled. “Horget what? Forgive whom?” he asked. | “You will know one day, my boy,” said the earl. ‘Until then, let ignorance be bliss.” And a sudden, involuntary thrill passed through his heart, as he thought how near his cherished children had been to him on the night when the deserted lodge was burned. One daughter nestling in luxury beneath the fres- coed magnificence of Glenhampton Castle, the other two wandering forlorn and friendless through the desolate country roads, and seeking shelter beneath the wayside hedges—what a contrast was there! And he bit his lip with stern determination, as he thought of the beautiful, wine woman who had done it all! He had not even telegraphed the news of his intended ar- rival at Glenhampton. It was his wish to appear there with - his newly found daughter without a word of warning which - might have set the countess maneuver ing anew. Katherine was there, and her identity must not be divulged until he himself was there to protect her, for the earl felt that his wife was too subtle and dangerous to be trusted even for an instant with the girl whom she believed that her plots had done to death eighteen long years ago. It was nearly noon when the carriage which the earl had engaged at therailroad station drove up to the side entrance of the castle. Harper was sitting, nodding in his chair in the hall. He started to his feet, with a smothered exclama- tion, as the carriage wheels erunched over the snow-white “oT avel. ‘‘My lord!” he exclaimed, ‘‘we did not know—we never expected ——” “Hush!” said Lord Glenhampton, lifting his finger warn- oe comicbooks.co'