Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZL 43 ‘©Oh, Cecil dear!—you have been ill; that was it,” said the poor girl, bursting into tears at the first glance. — «< Ah! shall I bear you to the play—the tableau?’ he ex- claimed, in an excited manner. ‘Shall you be witness, and applaud the grand scene?’ «<The concert—yes!” replied Lillia, relapsing into deeper ctbeaet “1711 go anywhere with you, dear Cecil, that you wish.” A smile curled the lips of the lover, but an imperative glance from me checked the wild sally which was on his lips. He gazed at me strangely a moment, then took Miss Meredith’s hand politely and seated her. ‘Tam glad to meet my lily-flower again,” he murmured; ‘* will she breathe some of her innocent balm on the world- weary heart of her Cecil? Ihave not touched so tender a hand, nor met so kind a gaze, since last I looked upon ou.” 7 : She watched him half incredulously through her tears, as if such phrases were a new thing from him, but a some- thing strange and terrifying to her in his haggard face soon caused her to cower closer to him, and again exclaim: “You have been ill, Cecil—oh! how terrible you are looking!” 7 He looked down at her, a calm, thoughtful glance, such as a brother might have bestowed, and began explaining to her the severity of his literary labor, and I, dubiously enough, slipped from the room and left them together. «Well, are they reconciled in good faith?” inquired Isolina, anxiously, when I made my appearance. I related the meeting, and eagerly asked how she had managed to bring him round to ‘such a measure of sub- mission. | <<T informed him of a certain obstacle which debarred me from marrying him!” she replied, steadily, while she closed her piano and locked it. ‘Having become convinced that further hopes were impossible, he himself proposed to return to Lillia, and signify his intentions by — accompanying her to the concert this evening.” -& And is it possible that he has given you up so calmly?” ‘‘He cannot—or I cannot—remove the obstacle; there- fore he submitted to the inevitable.” At half-past seven we left the house with my father, who this night was radiant with pride and playful tenderness, as comicboo ‘Ss (eo)