The Widowed Bride — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

72 ‘THE WIDOWED BRIDE. CHAPTER IX. SCHOOL FRIENDSHIPS. ‘Tf you would go to her, just fora minute, Miss Rena; she’s sobbin’ as if her poor heart would break, and declarin’ she won’t stay, not another day.” ‘Homesick, poor thing!” said Rena Percival, to whom the good-natured housemaid had addressed herself. ‘‘Which room is it, Jane?” ‘lhe third on the second floor, miss. Miss Parker went there and knocked, but she wouldn't so much as answer, and Miss Parker was shy-like of disturbin’ her against her will.” ‘There are some people that must be done good to, in spite of themselves, Jane,” said Rena, gayly, as she went away. Reva Percival at eighteen was one of the loveliest crea- tures poet’s pen can describe, or artist’s brain imagine. Rather dark than otherwise, without being a decided bru- nette, her hair hung low over a pearl-pure forehead, and jetty eyebrows tapered to a mere thread on either side over arched eyes of a deep liquid hazel. Her nose, slightly re- trousse, gave an excellent archness to her bright face, and her lips, scarlet, full and perfectly shaped, were dimpled with smiles which betokened the overflowing gayety of her maiden heart. Thus radiant in her fresh young beauty, and singing as she went, Rena Percival tripped along the corridor to the ‘third room on the second floor,” according to Jane’s “ype and, knocking’ softly, paused an instant to isten. _ No very unusual sounds they were which reached her ears as she stood there, sobs and tears and shuddering sighs, the index of a homesick girl’s heart on her first separation from the beloved scenes of her childhood, and without. pausing to repeat her knock, Rena opened the door and went in. : | ‘Lady Blanche Arden,” she said, gently, ‘“‘what is the matter?” ; - Ccomicbooks.co! Ve) Wb y= 7 7