Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

e 7 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 103 by another physician who was called in, to the effect that Miss Rienzi could not without loss of life be removed from her room at present; and since nothing else could be done, the writ was:served upon her where she lay, and men were stationed in the house to take charge of the prisoner until she could be examined. A constable kept guard at my sister’s door, and watched that no weapons or means of escape were carried in to the accused; two more kept watch at the entrance door and the area gate, lest the family or the domestics should attempt some desperate treason, and they paced up and down the little garden, peering at every window, staring in the faces of those who passed to and from the house; pry- ing into the household arrangements, bullying the servants, joking over the gate with their passing comrades, smok- ing their nauseous tobacco, and making the best of their grim job. Three days passed before my sister summoned strength enough to speak; each feeble breath indrawn seemed des- tined as a last; a film as frail as the night-fleece of a frost which melts in the morning sun, was between her soul and its home, a whisper in her ear might turn the balance trem- bling down into eternity. On the fourth day she rallied; the feeble life threw up a brighter flame, and hope looked in at our shadowy door. She was able to murmur our names, to lift her hollow eyes to mine in love, to faintly press the hand which gently pressed the lissome palm. She might live! I welcomed my dear Isolina from the trance of death, with anxious fears and sorrow. One evening, my friend, Miss Belle Cranstown came in, pale with sympathy and horror. She had just arrived from the country, and heard of our misfortunes, and her tender heart was bursting with indig- nation at our sufferings. ‘* My poor dear,” she sobbed, ‘‘it is too dreadful! can’t these brutal men be sent away? Shame on the people that they don’t mob them! It’s too shameful this, for a Chris- tian city!” «< We don’t feel it so much now,” I said, gently; ‘‘and they can’t hurt us—yet.” E() comichooks:.