Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI 97 dows carefully closed with shutters, the night-lamp burn- ing low. I retired early that I might be ready to take my turn at three o’clock, and after starting awake feverishly two or three times to listen for a signal that ‘‘something” had occurred, I at length fell into a heavy slumber which lasted until the daylight began to struggle in, when I rose in haste and found I had oyverslept my watch an hour. I flitted to the locked door and let myself in, and there my , father sat by the dim night-lamp, pale of cheek and_heavy- eyed, but vigilant as ever, as he counted his drops of medi- cine , and bent over the letter of minute instructions. The fall of gossamer could not be lighter than his touch on her pulse; nor the softest whisper of a woman, than the breathed caress as he poured the diluted drops through her parted lips and fanned her brow. ‘* How is she?” I whispered. «<The same,” was the answer. I approached and found her still sunk in her dream-like apathy. ‘“Why did you allow me to oversleep myself?” I asked. ‘“You look very worn and tired, my father, while I have been stealing an hour of your rest!” ‘““T am not fatigued,” he said, looking tenderly at my sis- ter. ‘‘I do not know how the night sped; it seemed short.” - “Gonow,” I urged; ‘‘you must be ready to attend your office at the usual hour, you know.” He fain would have lingered, but at last he yielded to me and prepared to depart. ‘Study these directions well;,I have found them of the very greatest use,” he said; ‘‘ why, I followed its dictates to the moment, and I really think such punctuality is a very great step in the right direction!” My dear father, he men- tioned with pride his skill as a sick-nurse! ‘What bottle is this?” I asked, lifting a large one up; * it was not here last night.” ‘That is one the doctor brought—he was here at mid- night, and said she was not worse; he staid nearly an hour.” ‘* He is very kind to us, papa.” «* Yes, dear, he sympathizes with us in our sad position. -~ NowI shall go. One charge I wonld vehemently impress upon your mind; let noimprudent noises disturb her—quiet is her life.” Comichboo KS (<(@)