Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

128 ANGELINA ; OR, me I know no more about it than yourself. My husband and his brother bad not been frieads for many years, and J never saw either him or bis wife- They lived at seme distance from us. At length, howerer, year uncle received a letter informing him that his brother was at the point of death, and beggiag that he would hasten to him, so that ho might receive his forgiveness before he died. Of coatse, my husband did not refuse, and was absent several days, when he returned in a state of grent anguish, aad infermed me that two . days after the demise of his brother, his sister, having caught the fuver of him, expired also. He brought you with him—being then a child about two years old—whv, he gave me to understand, was the only child of bis unfortunate brother aad sister, who being quite unprovided for, it was hit intention to prc- tect and bring up. This is all that I have ever been able to elicit concerning you, and your uacle has always mest sedulously avoided speaking to mo upon the subject, and shewed much emotion whenever my curiosity prompted me te refer to it.”' Oar heroine remniaed wrapt in thought for a few moments after her aunt had given the above account, and appeared to be suffering the most acute meatal agony; but, at last, tursiag towards Mrs. Woodfield, in a melancholy tone, she remarked :— “© It is indeed strange—very strange ; but the Almighty in His own infinite wisdom, will some time or the other unravel the mystery; into His hands I resign my fate, and am prepared to abide by His will.”’ Having given utterance to these pious ejaculations, she felt more tradquil- lized, and after conversing with her aunt aad Laura for a few minutes longer on different subjects, she arose and left the room, with an intention of pay- ing a visit to old Dame Gertrude, merely to pass the time awsy, and hoping, in conversation with her, to divert her thoughts to some less pninful subject. The morning was extremely fine, and the sun shone with uncemmon brilliaacy upon the delightful scenery, by which that romantic spot was surreunded; but it failed to prodace any effect on oar heroine’s mind, and in spite of ali her endeavours, she found it utterly impossible for hey to banish fram her bosom the gloomy thoughts which the recent cventa had excited. It seemed as though a blight had fallen upon her heart, and acattered before its influence, all the joys, the hopes, and the wishes that had before occupied it. She was awakened eo a full certaiaty of her ardent passion, but to be overwhelmed by all the op- pressive weight of dark despair. Alas! what is more torturing to the human mind, than the imbibing of a hopeless love? It is the cankerworm that too often preys upon the vitals of youth; destroys all its bueyant hopes—lays waste its jocund pleasures—renders life a hell-end ultimately brings ita victim to an untimely grave. And Angelina was doomed to feel all the misery ia the fullest extent; and now that the tongue of her uncle had forbidden ber ta lave, she felt the fall certainty of the fate which awaited her, and not only her, but him to whom her whole soul was devoted. She walked slowly on, almost unconsclous whither she wandered ; the bright rays of the sun spread a broad, an interminable expanse of gold before her s5— the fields, the meadows, the hills, the valleys, were clothed in their richest verdure 3 bet she noticed them not. The birds sang sweetly upon every spray, but her car was deaf to their mellifluous notes; her thoughts were ‘entirely absorbed in that one all-engroppiag gubject, in which her very existeace seemed y isi b 4 gt 9 .