Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 271: what you’re looking at

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

OOTAVIA’S PRIDE. 261 lived another day and night, but gave no look or sign of consciousness. Apoplexy of the brain, the wise doctors announced. ‘<A cleaving of the man’s heart,” said the honest sailor, ““by the very news I brought him.” ** + * + + x *k The party at Chichester Rookery did not learn the par- ticulars of the solemn event for full a fortnight after. They had their own somber warning to receive. - Wilhelmine and her husband had of course remained to await the settlement of the unexpected turn of affairs. Jane West also accepted the earl’s earnest 1 not cordial invitation. If she were really the true owner of the Falkner property, she had her right, and need not feel like an intruder. She had settled her course of action without any consultation even with Wilhelmine and her husband. * Lady Mary was singularly free from disquietude. The earl was almost angry with her, remembering what awaited Ronald’s return. He even ventured to hint that this newly found daughter seemed to have stolen away the alfection her son had held for so many years. She looked up wistfully into his face. ‘I do not wonder you blame me, Philip,” she said, sor- rowfully. ‘‘I have accused myself more than once of hard- heartedness in poor Ronald’s case; but somehow I seem to feel assured it will be well with him.” ‘I have sent off a messenger to intercept the yacht if pos- sible, and bring them home. Iam afraid the poor general will wear himself out with fretting before his daughter comes. He would have returned home, or to a hotel, but I would not listen to the proposition,” answered the earl. It is a sad business.” | But it did not need the earl’s messenger to waylay the yacht; a more terrible summons intercepted it. cComicbooks (Ele)