Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

208 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. upon my shoulder with a sudden sob of grief. His strong frame quivered, his heart throbbed in quick muffled beats; the memory of that blissful day was rending him; the sacred curtain had been drawn too suddenly from that long vailed mystery. ‘* Brother,” I breathed solmnly; ‘‘ whom God hath joined, let no man put asunder! You have a right to claim her. from every other duty; she 1s yours. Ah, Victor, let me welcome you to a loyal sister’s heart.” My blood glowed with sudden joy, though his strange announcement had almost stunned me. Strange that I had not deemed that possible before. ‘“She never told us—why was it a secret?” I whispered presently. My friend resumed his place, and went on. “It was me—all my fault!’ he responded, sadly, “I bound her-to silence fora silly scruple, and I have been justly punished in losing her Jove. Never since the day of our union has she suffered me to meet her; oh, Ivanilla she implored that we might never meet again!” ‘¢Why—why?” I exclaimed vehemently. ‘* Alas! I cannot tell, I have been led to believe she was false to me, and loved another.” ‘Tt was false!” I responded. ‘‘ Oh, Victor, what wrongs are we about to unvail?” ‘¢T see there is a world of explanations to be made on both sides,” he said. ‘‘ Let me tell my story, dear Ivanilla, then you shall tell me yours; we shall then have a better chance of understanding how my darling wife was led to cast me off, whom she so sweetly and solemnly vowed to cling to as her husband.” CORNUCG OOO S (©)