Her Faithful Knight — page 278: what you’re looking at

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

274 Aylmer’s Household. widow of fifty-four, nothing would induce her to accept a second husband. More than one pang of remorse shot through Dorothy as she realized how unsuspiciously Mrs. Read and her daughter accepted her in the character of Mrs. Philip Ransome. Clearly it never entered into the minds of either lady to doubt Aylmer’s word. At the time Dorothy did not guess how absolutely dependent Aylmer’s aunt and cousin were upon him. The late Mr. Stanley Read’s savings brought in an income of rather less than fifty pounds a year, which -was all that stood between his widow and child and destitution. But Aylmer was con- stitutionally chivalrous and unselfish, and really glad to come to the rescue of the two helpless women and pro- vide a home for them. At the present moment, indeed, he was inclined to fall down on his knees and worship the limp, mildly-weeping lady who presided at his table, in that she made it possible for him to offer shelter to the woman he loved. “The wisest and luckiest thing I ever did in my life,” he told himself, “was the taking of this house at the Christmas quarter, and installing Aunt Harriet and Rosa here. But for that how could I have helped Phyllis?” It was all he could do to turn his eyes from his guest. She was very pale, and her eyes had not altogether lost that startled, hunted look which had come into them when she first heard of Darcy’s action against her. She had changed the crape-trimmed gown she had been wearing under her long cloak for one of the two dresses she had bought in Oxford street—a silver gray silk, with a loose bodice of steel embroidery and bands of rose-color inser- tion. The costume had been of Aylmer’s choosing. He was fond of bright, pretty colors, as are most men, and guessed how well the rose color would harmonize with the delicate flesh tint of Dorothy’s complexion. The bod- Comicbooks (E©)