Beadle's Dime Novels No. 20: Florida; or, The Iron Will — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

LEAVING THE COPTAGE. 7a His beart was faithful to that one memory, and until he could find its counterpart or the reality, it was in his cwn keeping. The ball over, Horace Dudley continued to pass the suc- ceeding day in the agreeable business of packing, then waited for the morning in a singular state of nervousness. While, on the eventful Friday, he deliberately adjusted his cravat, and, bent upon looking his best, arranged and rearranged his hair, the inmates of the little cottage were in no less a state of excitement. Florida was giving directions here, there and everywhere ; Virginia was devoting herself exclusively to her mother, who was childishly happy at the prospect of a change. Virginia did not smile, and her face seemed as rigid as marble. The color—that luminous, golden tint, that, like some wonder- ful liquid, usually suffused her features and glowed in her brown hair—was all gone, and she seemed as one unconscious of life. It was pitiful to see the weary droop of her eye—its patient, though sorrowful uplifting, and the mouth, that should have been curved only to sunny smiles, grieving now and then with the helpless passiveness of a babe who sees strange shadows about it, and hears not the step of its mother. In fact, she took no heed of what was going on. It did not astonish her that the cottage furniture remained unpacked, or that a handsome city carriage stood at the door to convey them away. She arranged herself in the rich traveling- dress, and the new, neat bonnet Florida had brought from town, mechanically, without giving one thought to their peauty. She had a confused idea that her Nalfsister had sacrificed every thing to appearances so far, but that they were going to some out-of-the-way place, where all the sweet of their country-life would be denied them, and where, in the dark days of fog and gloom, Florida would toil with her needle, while she would do the work of the house- hold. And all this was so different from her plans hitherto. them she saw the dark rooms made cheerful with love; a glowing fire and a table drawn up before it; Parker at her writing ont his beautiful story; Florida, recenciled and listening and taking part in the genial hearth-side talk. she was separated from the man she loved; doubts and had heen east in her way; the terrible consciousness of =) Tie conmicloooks.com — -