Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 25 oe suspicions, until I bid them live. Will you promise me! My head sank between my hands—my tears flowed from a heart that was rent with disappointment as I said: ‘‘T will promise what you wish.” Then she melted into love again—sweetly, tenderly she nursed me; and as I lay on the sofa watching her slender, _willowy figure, I began to ask myself: ‘* Could it really have been she whom I saw?” She was moving about like a person ina dream; that fixed carmine stain had never gone out of her cheek; otherwise she was alarmingly pale and apathetic; her low, even tones might have been spoken by one who had pee mesmerized, for all the feeling that was betrayed in them, ’ Such calmness could only be the result of some great ner- vous excitement. I saw all this for some time with crawling horror; but there was a something in her manner which kept me dumb, and my own heavy head began to absorb my atten- tion. I thought that long evening would never end; my father came up two or three times, Sophie hovered about with anxious eyes, Isolina bent over me and bathed my temples, and seemed to fill the wild chaos around me. They all were full of cares for me, and no one looked at my sister, or saw the ghastly composure that I saw between the spells of fitful slumbers. But when all the house had retired for the night and — absolute quiet was reigning, I then being intensely wake- ful, a crisis came which showed mine had been no fever- dream. , Suddenly in the sighing midnight rose a bitter cry, so wild, so despairing—oh, so abandoned. I dragged myself from my bed into the outer hall, my limbs heavy as lead, and crawled to my sister’s door. These cries—these moaning sobs were Isolina’s, «Let me come to you—let me come, sister,” I prayed, but the door was locked. I feebly shook it, but strength failed me and my head swam round.” “‘Oh, let me bear your grief with you, my darling,” I wailed; but these awful cries ceased not. I sank in a heap on the cold, marble floor, and all power KS (e(e) im comichoo