The Widowed Bride — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. oo her. ‘I want a white dress with blue ribbons, and bronz- boots like the little girls I saw in the street.” “My dear,” said Mrs. Mar, remonstratingly, “white dresses ind blue ribbons are only for rich little ols.” “T want to bea rich little girl,” said Alice, piteously, vyhile Rena skipped about in her new ‘garb, delighted with its comfortable and decent cleanliness. Mrs. Mar looked at her, as she stood there, smiling and flushed from her recent bath, the dark hair curling in damp rings away from her brow, and her eves shining like wells of dark water, and could not but acknowledge to herself that she was very pretty, for a ‘“‘homeless wait.” ‘I’m glad you happened to be here before ‘ visiting day, she said, half speaking to herself; ‘‘the girls we ve wot just now are such a plain-looking set, and Mrs. Heneage likes pretty girls.” ‘What is visiting day?” asked Rena. “And who is Mrs. Heneage?” “It’s the day the lady patronesses come Aion my dear,” said Mrs. Mar. ‘I wonder if your hair wouldn’t curl, to twist it round your finger, after it’s been wet; and the Hon- orable Mrs. Heneage is Lord~ Barrowfield’s sister, the lady that does the most for us. Dear heart, Allie, how you are yawning. Well, well, I suppose you're tired and want to so to bed.” ‘‘Where is our room, ma'am?” asked Alice, stifling a sec- ond groan. “Room!” echoed Mrs. Mar. ‘‘Why, what 18 the child talking about? You don’t have a room. Ask Eliza, the dormitory girl, to put you in No. 89. There, run along, children; I’ve got my accounts to make up yet to- night.” Nos. 89 and 90 were tiny little white beds, each ‘with a chair beside it, which was all the privacy “homeless girls” were expected either to desire or to deserve. “Can't I get in Rena’s bed?” asked Alice, looking wist- fully at her sister's pillow. *“No, certainly not!’ said Eliza, sharply. ‘‘One to a bed that’ s the dormitory rule!” - And although Alice sobbed herself to sleep, both the children slept well and soundly in the small beds, scarcely wider than a, plank, which were allotted to them, and waked ‘up in some degree reconciled to their new life. oes oe Saturday happened to be a red-letter day at 399 comicboo SS (ee) mn :