At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

146 AT A GIRI’S MERCY. hour there, in the evening. They were going down the stairs to the library, and Nan’s hands were around her father’s arm, her face lifted anxiously to his. For she knew that the wrinkle between his brows meant more than usual trouble, though he had kept up bravely and proved by no word that any- thing was wrong. ‘‘You needn’t try to hide it from me,’ she added, and now her voice was half merry and her face arch, lifted up to his. ‘‘You needn’t try, papa, because I would find it out, anyhow, and you would only have your bother for nothing. Is there any more trouble in the city with the rioters, or is it something other than that, that makes that dreadful frown on your face? Idon’t like to see it, and therefore you are to confess to me at once, and free your mind of its evils.’’ ‘“Every one is worried about the war, Nan,” the Squire said, quietly, endeavoring to turn her off in that way, not wishing to tell her the true cause of his anxiety. ‘‘It seems as though times were grow- ing worse every day for our soldiers, and we can do so very little for them.’’ ‘But the times have been growing worse steadily since the war began,’’ Nan said, calmly, with a little air of wisdom, ‘‘and vou have not before come home with that troubled face. Itis more than that, and we who are comrades in the home ranks may as well comfort each other. I know it is more than that, | papa dearest, so you may as well tell me.”’ She knew it was more than what he said, and there was a dread dawning in her heart that it might be due to some villainy of Howard Blake’s. His face, as it looked when he left her that morning, had haunted her through the day, and she felt instinet- ively that he would be true to his threat of ven- comicbooks.co "ine? hus - - .s ss 4