A Heart's Bitterness — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

8 4 HEART’S BITTERNESS. __prognostications at the marriage of so sweet a creature as Violet Ainslie.” She is sweet, indeed. I think-I never met a more fair, os charming creature. Heaven only knows how I have hoped se and prayed for her happiness.” -_. *€T know you love her, even better than any of the rest . : of us, dear Lady Burton, and you are only too good to all 2 POL us.” _ Lady Burton was the ideal and the idol of a large circle of young girls, and her influence over them was ennobling i and delightful. She loved to surround herself with bloom- ae ing youth and high spirits, to elevate their sentiments and cultivate their hearts. Her preference was a sort of high i mark for the moral and mental dispositions of those she selected for her favorites. She smiled as Grace spoke. “TJ think it is impossible to be too good to any of you. 7 1 is indeed ‘a rosebud garden of girls,’ by which I am _ continually surrounded,” and she bent to kiss the red, a laughing lips. : < **We shall be a rosebud garden, or garland of girls, I __ assure you, at Violet’s wedding—fourteen of us—only fancy.” Lady Burton sighed deeply. ““Why, don’t sigh as if it was an execution, dearest,” : eried the lively maiden. Violet is past eighteen, and— oh, let me tell you what my aunt said this very morning, oe ‘she is marrying one of the oldest titles in England.’ Just _ asif it were the title, not the man.” ‘Heaven send it is the man, with a good, true, loyal, well-founded love between them,” said Lady Burton, who. hhad lived to see many very miserable matches, many shame- _ fully broken ones, and many supremely happy ones. She herself could speak from experience on both sides. Her first marriage had been a misery, nobly endured, so long as God willed; her second a union of two brave, loving hearts. (Ee) =—Eomic 00 S)