A Heart's Bitterness — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

_ A HEART'S BITTERNESS. ood Tae CHAPTER IV. THE TERRIBLE TRUTH. What had smitten hope, courage, happiness out of the bride of an hour? What had stopped the bounding pulses of her sweet young life, and laid her cold, silent, prostrate, as one dead? Lhese are not Borgia or De Medici times, when one sends poison in a bouquet. It was not her bridal flowers, not even Lady Clare Montressor’s tuberose that had sealed her fate. No. Upon her untried, innocent, unspecting ear had fallen the unaccustomed voice of truth; and oh, how chilling, how cruel, how terrible, how fatal truth can some- times be! The naked truth is sometimes as deadly and un- sparing as a naked sword. , : a When Mrs, Ainslie, full of pride, joy, benevolence to all the world, threw open the door of her boudoir to her new ~ and titled nephew, to put him face to face with the charm- ing, white-vailed, innocent creature, whose life had just been indissolubly bound to his own, and instead of blush- ing cheeks and smiling eyes, saw prostration, rigidity, pal- lor, unconsciousness, she gave a wild cry: ‘‘She is dead! she is dead!” | Lord Leigh, with a look of terror, bent over his fallen bride. ‘The treasure he had won with a swift good fortune that surprised himself, was it to be lost as soon as won? Then he felt life still fluttering in the tender frame, and re- called that the house was full of guests. He was one who — lived in careful regard of publicopinion, concealing allthat might arouse remark. “‘It is a fainting attack,” he said. ‘‘ Give me your vin- — | ) acrette. Call Sir Roger Parker, please; he is below; and bring a maid, Mrs. Ainslie; but do not seem alarmed.” His composed manner had neither the ardor nor anxiety — of a devoted young lover trembling for his idol; but its calm practicality restored Mrs. Ainslie’s courage. | Left alone for an instant with his insensible bride, Lord — Leigh, while-endeavoring to restore her, had his eyes fixed — * Gomicbooks:co