Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. — inated 9-5 servant, for he proved himself a generous friend to me. Sometimes, indeed, I have wondered at the depth of that friendship, and what I could have done to have won such attachment.” At these words Lady Mary smiled bitterly. «‘ Philip,” said she, ‘‘1t was always strange to me that you were so blind. If all this rested on your conscience alone, do you think it would rasp and wear my spirit so? Arthur Morley took upon himself the woeful sacrifice, not from friendship to the heir of my father’s earldom, but from love to his daughter. Do you think if I had not al- lowed him to deceive himself with wild lover hopes, he would have consented to that blackening accusation?” Her head dropped again, her face grew deathly pale, and she sank back into the chair gasping for breath. He did not call the servant from the adjoining room, but found the water, and brought it to her himself, and while she drank, he stroked gently the soft, silken hair. ‘“My poor Mary, and you persist in tormenting yourself with these useless accusations! What use? Think of it, my dear sister, it does not, it cannot help matters now. ‘That was a wretched affair. Heaven knows we all suffered enough over it, but we quieted it in the best possible manner. Look at it calmly; imagine the great shock to our father, the in- conceivable distress to the whole family, the ruin for me, and the wide stir and calumny of the public which might have been, but was not, because one person stepped between. And after all was there any punishment for him? He did not suffer want. You know the moment I came in posses- sion I put a generous sum in the bank at his disposal.” ‘But he never touched it Het she cried, with a thrill of pride in the tone. ‘< Because he had no need. His career there in Australia was singularly smooth, and free from trials. It is a great EGomicboo cS (ele)