Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

Pas trea, a BEAUTIFUL RIENZL 23 She came toward me with my slippers in her hand, but I sprang to the door, and rushed down to join my sister. The silken robe had vanished. I fell with force against the butler in the lower hall, and jingled all his glasses to- gether. ‘“T- beg your pardon, Marks. Is my sister in the dining- room?” ‘‘Just gone in, missy. My! be you ill, Miss Ivanilla?” He looked agape in my face, and I had to passin, with _ the wild expression still unsubdued, to avoid him. Isolina presided in our mother’s place. Her head was turned from the door. She was speaking in a low, com- posed voice to my father. ‘The hand which held the glass of wine toward my father was steady as ever, her tone serene and soft. Could this be the mad phantom whom I saw fighting with the storm? I slid into my place and watched her. I forgot to eat —to move. I was waiting for those blue eyes to show themselves. | ‘‘Tva—are you well, child?” My father’s voice gave me a great start. It seemed to come from a hundred miles away, and pierce my ear. The blue eyes were lifted at last with a quick alarm. My sister looked across at me in wonder. and those eyes were -quite steady and tearless. ““See how excessively pale she is, Isolina—good gra- cious !” Then they both rose with one accord. I saw them advanc- ing. I shrieked and tried to evade the sudden blackness, and then—I knew no more ! ee CHAPTER III. IN WHICH I FIND THE DISADVANTAGE OF NOT BEING CLAIRVOYANT. ‘*‘ But there sings on a sudden a passionate cry, There is some one dying or dead !”—TEnnyson. In the midst of my wonder I had fainted. When I recovered I was in my sister’s arms in my own bedroom, my father bending over me,with anxiety depicted comicbooks (e{e) ae