Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 322: what you’re looking at

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

claimed, in surprise, for this was the first she had heard of her adoption, and she was deeply interested in this portion of her story. “No; but very, very dear to me, nevertheless,” her mother replied, heartily. “How very strange !” Hazel said. ‘‘Perhaps Marie’s parents are still mourning her loss, as you have mourned imine.” “T hardly think that possible,”’ responded Mrs. Earlescourt, “I feel very sure that they must have erished in that dreadful fire, for many lives were ost at that time. We advertised in several papers, giving a faithful description of the child and telling where she could be fonnd, but no one ever came to claim her, and we could never learn anything about her; so we naturally coneluded that all her friends must have been lost.” “Marie is a lovely girl. mamma, and it will be de- lightful to have a sister,’ said Hazel, smiling. “Yes, she is a dear child, although truth compels me to say that she was a little Tartar at first,” re- plied her mother, smiliug. ‘‘I imagine she had been greatly indulged and allowed to have her own way, besides ruling everybody else; but she naturally pos- sessed good impulses, and when these were rightly directed, she developed into a noble girl. Iam sure you will love each other very much, and I shall be exceedingly proud of my two lovely daughters,” she concluded, fondly. “My brothers, too—what nice boys they are! How very strange it all seems to find a grown-up family ready to claim me,” Hazel remarked, musingly. “By the way,” Mrs. Earlescourt said, after an in- terval of Be a Seales i oaen had been re-— viewing the past, “I can hardly understand how you have developed so much refinement, meanienoateresin