A Heart's Bitterness — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

J A HEART’S BITTERNESS. 23 to feel yourself deceived into marriagé by one you love, yet who does not love you. I have only professed for Lord Leigh a liking that I hoped would grow to love under a good, disinterested man’s affection. I am denied that; and ed must live as well as I can, with a wronged, lonely eart.” | ‘* Poor Violet, poor little girl!” cried Lady Burton, her heart overwhelmed with sorrow, as she kissed the pale, cold bride, whose life had grown so sad and dark. ‘‘ ‘Take cour- age,” she whispered; ‘‘ things will be easier and better than they seem.” ‘“Never!” said Violet; ‘‘for this man, who does not love me, who has lied to me at the altar, I must leave the friends and relatives who in their way really love me; I must leave my hopes, my dreams that I have had, like other girls, and I must go even away from England alone withhim. Oh, Lady Burton, can anything be more forlorn?” ‘< My dear child, consider that whatever you have heard | —and I cannot conceive how you heard any such stories— may be untrue. Lord Leigh may be a good man, sadly misrepresented. Do not steel your heart against him who is now your protector, your nearest friend.” They heard Mrs. Ainslie’s voice in the hall. ‘There is my aunt coming. to hurry me away,” ‘said Violet. ‘Oh, Lady Burton, is there a girl in England more desolate?” She gathered all her strength of body and mind, and rose to go to her dressing-room. But afew steps made she re- turned and flung herself into Lady Burton’s arms. ‘‘ Save me from my fate!” ‘‘ Believe me, your fate will be less hard than you antici- pate. You exaggerate this, Violet. Courage, child!” She moved again slowly; then stood still. Lady. Burton, with a sinking heart, seized her hand, and firmly led her to the dressing-room. She stood there, speechless, pale, in despair rather than -resignation—as Iphigenia preparing for sacrifice. ‘‘You are lovelier than ever, darling,” cried Grace Fan- shaw, as she buttoned the last button of her pearl-gray gloves, and Violet stood in her gray traveling-dress. A moment for final adieus; and then a dash across the city in a closed coach, and then, as ina mad, bad dream, ’comicbooks (eo)