The Widowed Bride — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

O14 THE WIDOWED BRIDE of the house, as if she were wondering which of these stately rooms enshrined the jewel of her admiring love, her sister Rena. : | “Tt is Ernest!” exclaimed Lady Glenhampton. ‘‘When did he come home?” ‘‘With me, this morning.” “And does he know?” she faltered. ‘‘He knows nothing as yet,” answered the earl. The countess drew a long respiration of relief. The whole world would be ringing with her wicked deeds ere long, yet she was thankful that Ernest Evelyn was still in ignorance of his mother’s crimes. For a little while she might yet breathe freely—yes, for a little while. ‘Do you see the young girl standing beside him?” pur- sued Lord Glenhampton, his eyes riveted sternly on the countess’ face. ‘‘Is it his wife?” she asked slowly; ‘‘the Alice Percival whom he has married in defiance of all my hopes and Wishes?” > ‘The world calls her Alice Percival,” answered the earl; ‘‘but she is my daughter, and her name is Allegra Morrilla Arden. Her sister, whom you know as Rena Percival, is now in this very house.” The feverish scarlet went and came on Lady Glenhamp- ton’s cheek as she listened with wild, incredulous eyes. ‘‘Impossible!” she gasped, her parched throat almost re- fusing to syllable the word. ‘‘Do the dead rise from their raves?” “No, Edith Glenhampton, but Heaven’s own hand warded off the sword of evil from the innocent babies who had no friend but Him!” her husband answered, solemnly. ‘‘The awful doom your hand would have meted out to them was averted by One more mighty than you. ‘They escaped from the lodge, terrified at discovering that the old man, whom they supposed to be their grandfather, was dead, and wan- dered away in the darkness from the impending shadow of a fate too terrible to contemplate. So far as my children are concerned your soul is bloodless save in the fiend-like intent.” ee She clasped her hands wildly together, heedless of how the golden bands and many facets of the precious stones she wore cut into her flesh EComicbooks.co