Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

48 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. I was carried away by her dramatic genius, and rendered my part with fearless enthusiasm, until my eyes fell on Cecil Beaumont, and then I knew not what Isang. _ ‘here he stood, or rather crouched behind a flag, watch- ing my beautiful sister with a reckless and almost diabolical smile on hislips. Where was now the touching febrile pa- thos of that full-eyed Southern face? This was the buid abandon of a fiend, | I turned from this blasting vision to take up my part again. ‘The orchestra hushed their notes to a gentle whis- per. my voice, trembling as it was with other feelings, rose distinet with Norma’s passionate rejoinder: ‘‘When the heart is cold that should have cherished Every hope of joy it falsely gave Woullst thou have me live? Ab!no, thou wouldst not! My only uaven, alas! is but the grave!” I waited for Isolina’s answering: ‘‘Hear me, Norma! hear me, I implore thee!” I waited, and the echoes were dying. What has smitten Isolina? The wild eves are fixed as if in a trance—her lips are whitening—her hands clasped. Doubt, sudden horror de- pict themselves npon the blanching face; she shrinks back, and with a soft AXolian-like brush of her heavy robe across the harp strings, she sank at my feet. The effect was electric. There was a hush as of death, broken presently bv the sound of hysterical weeping and cries of alarm, Confusion prevailed. CHAPTER VI. BAFFLED AFTER ALL. ‘¢O life as futile—then, as frail! O for thy voice to soothe and bless! What hope of answer or redress, Behind the vail! behind the vail!’—Trnnyson. I stood there as still as my white-faced sister, powerless with dismay. I gazed with keen eyes into the heart of the throng where she had gazed, and nothing but faces of con- com x (a) books.¢o ~«~ _