Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

& 49 OCTAVIA'S PRIDE The large, brown eyes were lifted again. Captain Lo found it hard to sit composed under their scrutiny, and it was like a knife-stab when the tremulous voice said, trust- fully: : ‘‘Thank you, sir; I am sure you will. Your face tells me I may find a friend in you.” ys | And then the eyes fell again, the head drooped to the supporting hand, and Captain Lo’s passenger fell into a deep reverie. “You shall have the broth now, and some toast and a cup of coffee, and after 1t you will feel lke another person.” ‘<Not coffee,” said the boy, hastily, putting on a look of disgust. ‘‘ Well, tea, then. But you must really take some nour- -ishment.” And Captain Lo bustled out to the galley to attend to the matter himself, instead of trusting either steward or cook, trying to soften the sting of his accusing conscience by these little attentions. As soon as he was gone, the boy put his hand into his pocket and drew forth the letter he had found there, with a purse containing a generous sum of gold, when he first awoke to a realization of his situation. Lhe handwriting was bold and firm. The letter bore no date, had no signature, but contained these lines: _ “You avow yourself well-nigh driven to despair by the misery and cruelty of the circumstances which surround you. I heard you, only a few days ago, cry out in very agony of passionate grief: ‘Oh, if I could fly anywhere, change lives and destinies with any one, only to escape the recognition of my persecutors, my jailers, my despotic masters.’ ‘Such passionate demands are almost always answered, and the realization for you comes promptly. ‘‘Behold! When you will read this ‘you will find yourself in changed circumstances, bound by none of the fetters: you detest, freed from ¢€o “comicbooks