Lady Evelyn — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

“ - Conquering the Conqueress. —-251 ing, and giving in marriage—all without a particle of ro- mance. But something has happened at last—a living romance under our very roof—the most astounding event of the age! ‘Town and country are ringing with it. It is the topic of the clubs, the sensation paragraph of the papers. I can scarcely realize it all yet. “Let me collect iny wits and write coherently, if I can. You will have seen, my dear Veronique, in Galignani, no doubt, the marriage of Lady Evelyn Desmond to Roderick Vincent Desmond, tenth Earl of Clontarf. And in the next column you have seen among the deaths that of Ger- ald Desmond, at Warbeck Hall. You have seen this, and been properly astonished, I dare say, for you knew my Lady Evelyn and her late betrothed, handsome Vivian ‘Trevannance. “Yes, you knew Vivian Trevannance. There was a time, even, Madame la Comtesse, when I thought you would have written your name ‘Mrs. Trevannance,’ and held it‘a prouder title than all earth had.to bestow. Ah, well, Monsieur la Comte has five-and-fifty years, but he makes you a much better husband than our favorite Viv- ian would ever be, dear friend. “It is better to be an old man’s darling,’ ete. You and he parted as he and many others parted before you, and Lady Evelyn got him and kept him, as we all thought. But nothing is certain. She is off and away on her bridal tour, and he is free and fetterless once more, gone, no one knows whither. | “You recollect the sensation the news of his engage- ment caused, and his flight to America immediately after? He returned from thence, some two months ago, bringing with him a friend—an American, he said—one Colonel Drummond. Lord and Lady Clontarf and their daugh- ter were with us at Warbeck Hall at the time, and the two gentlemen came by chance upon Evelyn and I the day of their arrival down on the shore. “T was struck from the very first by this Colonel Drum- mond. You and | have seen many handsome men in our day, Veronique, but I don’t think we either of us ever saw a man like Colonel Drummond... I do not mean his being exceptionally handsome, although he is—quite magnifi- cent, I assure you; but I had heard stich tales of his prow- ess, of his invincible courage and heroism, that | expected _ ae nae | comicbooks.com | (te i : , we “ é : - ' * $ ih ve Woe ‘ iN pry , aN fw 2 é Ua: ees Ot ee La Pes Wane ‘ ; Ag i, ha} . 1 / AA ar okt Pa ale Lei af. ete Dy ate: OA emir ys Ra VN Aad i" bed aby. yin ae Oh eC nL AE ATO Om oly ie Bh La) (Merl ‘ Say Aa Sine 2 oe Veet >) FAM A Oe ae rh OL Gat i ANN A!