Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

OCTAVIA’'S PRIDE 259 ““My daughter—oh, my Arthur’s child! It is I who should kneel for your forgiveness.” That sobbing transport of pain and joy was too holy a scene to be broken upon hghtly. ~ Only poor old General Wainwright crept away, mutter- ing: | «“She is the heiress. She is Arthur’s grandchild. Qh, my poor Octavia! What shall I say to Octavia?” And presently Mathew Merle, after a savage threat to Maurice to try the law upon the case, followed after. And the earl drew Maurice aside and heard from him the whole history, and went pacing to and fro, asking, with moody brow: ““What will be done with Ronald? Oh, how will poor Ronald bear to hear of this wretched revelation?” But Lady Mary, holding this daughter, with Arthur Mor- ley’s brow, and eyes, and smile, close to her heart, sat whis- pering: | ‘“* Heaven is merciful! Such sweet comfort comes out of this bitter woe. I will trust that the rest will be ordered wisely. Who knows but this girl, this Jane West, wal marry Ronald, and no harm come to any?” CHAPTER XX VIIL. CAPTAIN LO’S AMAZEMENT. Mathew Merle, half-choked with vindictive passions, wild in his determination to gain possession of the heiress of Wainwright Slope, to procure a legal dissolution of her marriage, went posting back to London in furious haste. Kyen his great delight in his son’s return could not dissi- pate the black passions which raged in his heart. ‘To think how he had planned and plotted, and waited all these Gomicboo CS: (E(0)