Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 212: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI, 207 as if Medusa’s head had grown upon my shoulders, and was petrifying him with horror. ‘‘ My wife died!’ he repeated, incredulously, “Oh! Miss Ivanilla, can you tell me that so calmly? My wife dead?” I could not understand him; IL began to feel embar- rassed; my cheeks glowed a little; what mistake was I mak- Ing?” * Let us begin again,” I said, forcing a laugh; “T was asking you that question, and you retort by asking me one. We will be pean and wade throught his labyrinth of miscon- ceptions. I shall tell you all that I heard of Victor Josel yn. I came from Italy nearly a year ago, and made my sister’s acquaintance for the first time since infancy. I soon sus- pected that her heart was pledged to some one, but she never spoke on the subject. She wore a ring—should I tell you this, I wonder? Yes, I should tell Victor Joselyn every- thing!—she wore a double ring, and engraven on the inner hoop were the letters ‘I. J.’ Have you two names, signor? Is Victor the only one?” ‘My name is Victor Joselyn, nothing else. Go on.” “‘T once found a water color painting of a scene near Saratoga, where you, sir, were holding my sister’s hands, with a look which betokened love. I found out that the face was that of a Victor Joselyn, who had made the ac- quaintance of some young ladies at Saratoga, my sister among the rest.” ‘Yes, I painted it,” interposed my listener, with a sad smile; it Was a sportive gift to my poor girl. Go on.’ “e My sister once had a letter in her hands, in which by accident [ read the name, ‘ Mrs. Victor Joselyn.’ I told my sister what I had seen, and she said that Mrs. Victor | Joselyn had been a friend of hers, but was dead.” ‘Did she say that?” he cried, with increasing agitation. ““Qh, false Isolina!” ‘““T do not understand! It is a Sphinx’s riddle!” I ejacu- lated, almost weeping. ‘‘ Are you not a widower, then?” “T never heard until to- night that I was.’ ‘And you have been married! Then—then, sir, was my sister in truth any friend of yours? Have I misconstrued ”” ‘You have not misconstrued,” he answered. ‘ Isolina was my friend; my closest friend; I married once, and Isolina was the woman whom I married.” He caught me once more to his heart, and bent his head CORNUCG OOO S (©)