Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZL 191 Haller she looked as vexed as could be, and said Mrs. Ring- wood was a fidgety old woman, always follering up other people about her charities, which was a hobby she rode to death last winter; and I asked her what was on the ecard, which wasn’t very polite of me, I am sure; but I couldn’t see how anything about sick beggars could have moved your sweet sister so; and Mrs. Haller said she couldn’t make out a word of what was written down; that it looked like gibberish in a foreign language, but she expected Mrs. Ring- wood wanted money to clothe somebody’s brats, And there they sat and sat, with the door shut tight on them, till I couldn’t sit nor stand with the fidgets. And then you come home.” When the girl had concluded this relation, she drew down the window blinds and left me to take the prescribed rest, which the doctor seemed to consider necessary. She left me, with a brain intensely busy and my heart stirred to its depths; and predisposed for anything but rest, though my limbs ached and I was faint from exhaustion. I had been perhaps half an hour thus, burying my head in the pillow and forcing my eyes to remain shut, when the door was slowly opened and a stately form, which was not Sophie’s, appeared on the threshold. ““Humph!” said Dr. Pemberton, coming to my bedside; ‘vou area good, obedient little girl—trying hard to lie still, _ which under present circumstances is an act of heroism; but, of course, failing. Just what’s to be expected—pulse rapid —head hot; would fly through the village like another Godiva. We'll set you up in a few hours, though; glad to see that you’ve tucked yourself honestly into bed, and no shams” (glancing at the pile of garments on a chair). ‘‘What’s this?” lifting it up; ‘‘a dripping wet boot! Oh, you wicked child! Here—be good enough to swallow this, and go to sleep.” He poured some drops out of a small bottle into a glass of water, which I drank obediently, then caught his sleeve just as he was going away. ‘«‘TeH me one thing, doctor—have you come too late?” «No, thank Heaven!” was the fervent response; ‘‘ not too late for either, I hope. I think that Providence is going to give me the lives of both. There, go to sleep, my child.” comicbooks (E(@)