Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 71 ‘““What are the women doing?” I asked, in the first pause. i Oh, poor things !. they’re having their afternoon air- ‘*What are they?” ‘«'They belong to the big house just next door, miss; it’s a private house for mad people, I believe.” ‘For mad people?” ‘* Yes, miss—for them as can afford to pay for being mad in private. ‘There’s many a person down there in that court, miss, I dare say, whose friends think they’re having their seasons in Paris or London, or some o’ them fashion- able places.” ‘Are these all mad people, Mrs. Harrison?” «Yes, miss; the ones in serge is mad—the ones in brown is the matrons. Poor souls! I often pities them, boxed up there.” I bade Charlie Harrison and his wife good-by, and found myself going down the long, steep flights of stairs. in The men, lounging in idle groups, saluted me as before; the women stopped their noisy chattering across entries, and dropped smiling courtesies. Miss Cranstown had other pa- tients in this house, whose small rooms were reeking with soap and water and gay with sand, waiting her arrival, but I passed them unheeded and returned the expectant looks of their inmates with an unconscious stare. Without, seemingly, the help of my physical powers, I found myself out upon the street and knocking at the door of the house with the grated windows. A man in livery soon appeared. ‘‘T wish to see the superintendent of this establishment.” ‘¢ Which of them, ma’am?” hesitated the man. I began-to see that I must be cautious. I pondered an instant. << Hither,” I answered; “‘I have no preference.” I was ushered into a comfortable apartment looking out -upon the street, but close barred like the upper windows. I sat like a stone until the man came back. «Dr. Oaks is engaged particularly, and Mr. Warrick is out. Will you be pleased to write your business at that desk, and leave an address?” “ Tmpossible—I must be attended to immediately. One comichbooks (€(0)