Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

104 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. She only wept the more violently at my resignation, and wrung her hands. “Don’t say so!’ shecried; “chow dare they suspect our good, pure Isolina Rienzi? Oh, | could swear to her inno- cence before a hundred courts.” I was melted to tears by my friend’s generous distress, and I poured out my crushed and sorrowful heart to her in a relation of all that led me to find my sister, and the sub- sequent events. Then remembering my desire to win from her some information concerning Isclina’s life at Saratoga the preceding summer, I asked her if she would answer a few questions. She readily complied. “You were with my sister at Saratoga all the time she was there?” “ Yes.” «Are you aware of any gentleman meeting her there whose name had the initials ‘I. J.?” , After a protracted pause, Miss Cranstown shook her ead. ‘*Can you remember where my sister was, and what she did on the sixteenth day of July? Oh, try to remember!” Again my friend pondered deeply, and at last looked up. «Yes, I can tell you exactly,” she said; ‘‘poor Isolina was taken with a very severe headache, and I nursed her all day at the cottage, while mamma and the other girls went down to the city shopping. She wason the sofa in Mrs. Halcombe’s front parlor all day, and she slept with me at night.” ‘“ Strange!” I mused; ‘‘what signification has the date on that ring then? «Will you allow me to show you a picture?” I continued, rising; ‘‘T wish to know if you ever saw a certain face and scene.’ I’went to my father’s room, and procured the paint- ing from his cabinet, which, returning, I handed to my friend. ‘‘Victor Joselyn!” she cried, in atone of astonishment; ‘and what a miraculous likeness!” I removed the picture from her hands, and placed it face downward on the table. — You will easily understand,” I said, gravely, “ pat anxious we are to find out every step of her past life, tl CORNUCG OOO S (©)