A Heart's Bitterness — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

40 : A HEART’S BITTERNESS. -readers—always pegging at his books. We fellows gave them the title of ‘L.L. without the D.’” | ‘What did that mean?” ‘<Literary Lord, to be sure. Poetic sort of a fellow, - Keith. Fond of incognito—didn’t like to be ealled by his title; loved to wander off into the country for vacations. We suspected a love affair for him, four years ago this next fall, just after I left there; but T’om Churchill told me Keith went away for six or seven weeks somewhere in Lin- colnshire, or some other place, and when he came back he was in a state of sublime joy—more poetic than ever—had a cabinet picture which he kept in alocked case, and a minia- ture which no one saw, but which he was detected in taking from his breast-pocket and looking at adoringly, in solitary moments. All that sort of nonsense, you know. Keith is just the man to nourish a grand passion. Then he began to be melancholy, pale, thin—went off his feed,” explained Leigh, as if the absent Keith were a horse; ‘‘ seemed all broken up, and the story was, he was jilted. Though what girl in her wits would jilt Keith, I don’t know—no end of money, and an old title. What do girls want?” Thus Violet Leigh heard from her husband the history of her first love. ‘he narrator fell into silence. ‘¢ And then?” said Violet, breathlessly. ‘hen? You are interested. But, yes—you, too, are a bit romantic; you'll outgrow it. Then Keith seemed not to find his life any good to him; but he pegged away and finished his examinations, and took honors, and went off through HKurope, to Egypt, India, and now he is coming back, cured, of course. All men get cured of love, first or last, as they do of measles. So you are not coming to din- ner? If Vd known I'd have staid at the club. It’s poor amusement eating alone. I say, Violet, don’t have head- ache again; but if you do, let me know in time, and I'll not come home fo dinner. Good-night; hope I’ll see you well in the morning. Have you all you want?” *¢ Yes; good-night,” sighed Violet. | She had by no means what she wanted. The sad and lonely little heart wanted comfort, sympathy, tenderness, a love to surround it as an atmosphere; but what she needed and craved she could never have. It was idle (E(0) “COMmIGcDOOKS