Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

ALFRED DE ROSANN. | 13 * * CHAPTER II. ELOISE AND ALFRED. Ir often happens in this world, that when Fortune is wearied of tormenting us, she takes a sudden ca- pricious turn, and lavishes her benefits upon our heads with the same profusion in which she lately poured forth the phials of her wrathful spite. At least such _ was the case with the family of the Claytons. In the year 1813 Eloise presented her husband with a pledge of their mutual affection ; and although the summit of his ambition was to become the father of a blooming boy, he nevertheless hailed the birth of a daughter — with the most unfeigned delight. A trivial dispute arose as to the name of the innocent being ; but it ter- ~— minated in favour of the mother, and the child was accordingly christened Eloise. But this was not the only circumstance which filled the hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clayton with joy. Wilham had collected the wrecks of his ruined for- tunes, and, aided by a little additional pecuniary as- sistance from his brother, had commenced business once more. For a moment his credit was: limited, and his operations necessarily circumscribed, on ac- count of the impression his late failure had made upon the minds of commercial men; but the known integrity of his character, and the rapid successes he again experienced, speedily wiped away all disagree- able reminiscences, and insured him public esteem and confidence to as great an extentas ever. But his mind had undergone a considerable change. His soli- tary hours were occasionally embittered with sad reflections ; he remembered it was at his instigation that his father had embarked in the miserable spe- culations which had deprived him of fortune, and VOL. 1.—2 CoOmicooolks