A Heart's Bitterness — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

Fah Be SRE Ron 58 PRONN Rye LL TN aS AN ey Se NR a Te MORI RAS) 8S LR od | i Ale wee Bens Se EN ahh A I ES a aS eK BN BME a etn ary ae . aw 9 wy ah Od tly ete OS earl. ‘on Pt ‘ , ; j . & : Se: , —~ A HEART'S BITTERNESS, 135 hands listlessly fallen in her lap, a far-away” look in her — eyes, her face pathetic in its loneliness and longing, and — striving to be calm, and yet every line telling her woe and her despair, Violet was unconsciously, for fully five minutes, under the steadfast gaze of Edna Ambrose. The pathos of that mournful girl-face roused Edna to a sudden and singular resolve. CHAPTER XXXIV. VIOLET’S GOOD ANGEL. Lady Burton was at her London house. She was alone, — but she expected her son soon, who was to take again his long-empty seat in the House of Peers. | She was sitting in her boudoir, lamenting to herself Vio- let’s evidently growing misery and Leigh’s singularly in-— creased harshness and neglect, when a footman brought her a card: _“EDNA AMBROSE HAVILAND.” Lady Burton went down to the drawing-room. Edna was standing almost in the center of the drawing- room, under the chandelier. Lady Burton advanced, hold- ing out both her hands. . «« My dear girl, how pleased I am to see you! How kind of you to come to me.” “*T almost feared it would be an intrusion,” said Edna; ‘‘but I had an errand that I felt I must do; and that one hour we talked in the wood, you looked so kind, so wise, so: good, I felt sure I could trust you.” | ‘You may indeed trust me. ‘To be faithful and helpful are my strongest characteristics,” said Lady Burton, lead- ing her toa seat. ‘‘I think we shall not be disturbed for along while. Now, my dear, what is it?” , ‘‘Tt it about the Countess of Leigh,” she said; ‘‘I feel so anxious about her. From what you said the day I saw — you, and from what I heard from old Adam, Lord Leigh’s confidential servant, I believe you her best and oldest friend, — and I want you to help me to help her. I saw her yester- day in her carriage; it was a sight to break one’s heart; she is so young, so frail, and she looked so lonely and wretched, GEomicbooks.co