A Heart's Bitterness — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

Rin eee he s, = fe ete 2 ee ee oe Se, i See ‘| f + > % Fad ' ~ heh Sh Fe a rey ae. et HPA Ee ¢ se rm , 3 rhe : 9 nc i oy 5 ; 4 ie A HEART’S BITTERNESS, ie sician, nor let any one know her wretched feelings. Violet avoided her husband’s name, and would make no com- — plaints; but in Helen’s skillful hands, Violet was plastic as wax, and it did not need direct or conscious revelations to” make Helen aware of all that wretched domestic history— the coldness, the disappointment, the heart-ache. ‘* All I want,” said Violet, ‘‘is to be out of the world. I a am so lonesome—so low-spirited. I mean to keep up as long ag I can, so no one shall know how miserable I am, and I shall wear out by degrees, and when I go back to Leigh Towers, I will just fade away in a decline, as my mother did finally. I shall not hold out so long. Probably I am _ not- pee so strong as she was. I wish I could be buried by her, under the roses at Ainslie church-yard; but I must be buried in those fearful cold vaults at Leigh Towers. Still, it — doesn’t much matter.” Thus Violet spoke, when, in the secrecy of herownroom, _ she was beguiled into confidential talk by the wily Helen. Perhaps this expression of her troubles relieved her, forshe — was of a confiding nature. When she went out, the air, excitement, her very fragility, bringing fitful flushes to her cheek, and brightness to her eyes, made her look well to the careless observer. Lady Barton and Edna saw deeper, but — they did not know all—not all that was poured outto Helen —for the secret about Kenneth gave Violet a certain reti- cence concerning her married life, to Lady Burton, and, as far as she knew, Edna was atmost a stranger to Leigh, and she could not complain. So far as she could, Violet was striving to do her duty to the bitter end. i Mrs. Ainslie, sparing no effort to make the first season of her dear girls a success, gave, among other entertainments, __ a fancy ball. Helen Hope was as Mrs. AinsHe’s right hand in arranging costumes and decorations, though, of course, it never entered the good lady’s head that her governess might long to have other part in it than thus serving. Hav- ing served, indeed, until all was done, and the young ladies dressed, Helen declared herself dying with headache, and, _ retreating to her own room, locked herself in. She knew all the dresses that were to be assumed by the guests be- longing to the family, and that Lord Leigh was taking the __ congenial character of Francis the First, of France, while Kenneth Keith was to be Bayard, the spotless chevalier, __ Edna, the Lily Maid of Astolat, and Violet, Juliet. “ww Gomicbooks