The Widowed Bride — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE. 65 thing. I dare say you have been quite accustomed to that style of argument.” ‘If I touched you at all,” said Rena, elevating her eye- brows with provoking command of temper, ‘‘I should send down to the kitchen and borrow a frying-pan or an iron skillet to do it with! There’s a correspondence in things.” This sally produced a universal titter among the girls, as it was well-known that Miss Cheriton’s maternal grandfather had made his large fortune in the iron trade, beginning with the humble avocation of hawking frying-pans from door to door. Miss Cheriton turned scarlet, her eyes flashed, and her heavy lips quivered ominously. ‘Rena Percival,” she cried, ‘‘I won’t be insulted!” ‘T wouldn't, if I were you!” said Rena, audaciously. ‘“At least,” went on Adela, in a choked yolce, “my rela- tives were honest people!” “Dear me!” interrupted Rena, ‘“‘who was talking about anybody” s relatives? I’m sure I never alluded to any such topics.” ‘‘And there are people,” added Adela, growing fairly pur- ple, ‘‘who haven’t any at all.” ‘There are ghosts, and fairies, and brownies, and all sorts ae unaccountable things,” said Rena, with a gay, mocking augh., | But she felt the envenomed arrow rankle in her breast, alter all, more especially so, as the tears ran in Alice’s eyes as she followed her sister to their own room. “Don’t mind her, Allie,” she whispered, passing her arm caressingly round the other’s shoulders, and laying her cheek against Alice’s lips. ‘‘She’s only a quarrelsome, vicious- tempered young virago, and nothing more!” “She insulted us, Rena.” ‘Of course she did; it’s her delight to insult people. Who minds her? Now you are crying, Allie, darling. Don’t, - please don’t, precious; you wouldn’t, if you knew that every one of those bright drops hurts me more than a whole dic- tionary full of the Cheriton’s slanders. Ill teach her to spit — out her gratuitous insolence to people.” ‘‘What are you going to do, Rena?” “Vm going to show her that I am not to be bullied with Impunity, that’s all.” And Rena burst out merrily laughing. (ee) Eomicbooks ae