Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

Ee y ote \ot Os)? ; 2 y fl Sot eu¥ Vy ’ With A se “a7 tee" A eke a A eR Be tr Ae OS + “aly ND Be es 'B: ee y, ; : t- tn. 7h. Ss OCTAVIA’S PRIDE. 2 General Wainwright “goede his breath in a stifled. sort of Stsp-. “A new development! Confound their stupidity! It was their business to prevent any new developments. I gave them instructious for all exigencies, and put them in posses- sion of all the facts: What business had they to trouble you, a lady, with this insolent suit of those beggarly Mid- dletons?”’ ‘« Dear papa, you mustn’t abuse the lawyers. ‘They wrote asking me if it was safe to trouble you, and I told them no, it must not be done on any account. Then they wrote again, asking if I had any confidential family adviser, and I consulted with Felix, and concluded to go myself and try to have sense enough to understand these troublesome law matters. And I have had this long interview with them to- day, and am almost as much Ls a pees as nee So, after all, you see we must come to you.’ ““ Well, well, I am sorry you have meddled with it. You ought to be spared the very thought of such perplexities, my beautiful Octavia.” She shook her head with a slow, grave smile on the vividly crimson lips. “« Nay, papa, you do not quite understand me, for all you love me so. I am not a doll to be shielded from exposure lest my graces shall be ruined. I am more like yourself. I have strength, energy, ability to act promptly and fearlessly if ‘an emergency comes. I think now that I have mastered this case as well as Felix has done. And some day I shall scold you that cheated me into believing it a trivial affair. I think I should make a very decent lawyer.” “*You are capable of anything you undertake,” answered he, fondly. ‘<I never doubted that, my Octavia.” *“* Papa,” said*Miss Wainwright, taking one of his chilly hands into her soft? warm clasp, but fixing those wide, blue a fof Sg poh Sec me idl ai MAT) ee Soft ra pe erat: rt eet a Ae - ae Sortie ass > awh Boneh es vie ra moe ae vis G3 ‘a a 3 sie 4 - i *% ry } 34 ae a ef, es col comicboo