Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 373: what you’re looking at

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

ache, after her morning in the court-room, and Mrs, Stewart, in scarcely better condition, was lying pale and weary in a hammock on the back veranda. As the girls came toward her, s0mething in their faces startled her. “What is the matter, Belle?” she asked, rising and going forward to meet them. “Mamma, I have something very wonderful to tell you,” the girl answered, springing toward her, and seizing her hands excitedly. ‘You will hardly believeit,” shecoutinued; “it seems impossible—but Marie is May——” “Marie is May! What can you mean by that?” Mrs. Stewart asked, withont a suspicion of the truth, and turning to greet Marie witlt a smile. “Why, J believe—we both believe that she is our May—the little girl that you thought perished in the Chicago fire ¥. “Belle!” gasped her mother, staggering hack as if from a blow, for she could never recall that terrible experience with any degree of composure, ‘are you erazy? What are you talking about?” Marie here interposed. “Dear Mrs. Stewart, come and sit down, and then we will tell you all about it.” she said, gently, while she moved a low rocker forward for ler. The woman mechanically sank into it, her eyes searching with startled scrutiny the pale, but lovely face of the girl whom she had hitherto believed to be the daugiiter of the distinguished Mrs. Earlescourt. Both girls seated themselves besideher, and then Marie, in her self-contained’ way, related something of the conversation between herself and Belle dur- ing the last hour, and the inference which they had drawh from it, “[ believe it is true!" the woman asserted, with pale lips, when the young girl bad Pi ccini eae MAES