A Silver Brand — page 216: what you’re looking at

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

208 | A SILVER BRAND, lated everything to him, from’ the first to the very last escape. Aubrey was profoundly moved. | | “Who knows but you have been yet further deceived ?” he cried. “T will force Dr. Mentz to speak plainly. Tell me, was Dr. Mentz with you at your daugther’s birth?” “He was,” she answered, wonderingly. ‘““And you have already told me how like I am to your husband, the baron. Look at this!” pe . He bared his wrist, held it up to the flaring light of the fast consuming taper coil, and looked into her face with wistful, inquiring eyes. | - She stood a moment as if dizzy with all this excitement pressing her hand against her forehead, then fell intoa great flood of tears, and cast herself into Aubrey’s arms. “My son! my own! my <Arnold’s living, breathing image!” she cried, incoherently, between her sobs. Aubrey held her close. ‘‘My heart answers you. I feel sure you are right. But tell me how it can be?” . ‘‘I was insensible to everything that transpired. Alas! alas! I was so helpless, so despairing, so broken-hearted at my husband’s terrible fate, and so encompassed by treach- erous friends, and crafty enemies, what marvel that they deceived me in every way? When I recovered from the fever that so nearly took my life, I was told that my twin children were dead at birth. It did not seem strange after all I have endured. I received it for truth. I never questioned it until my captor, a brief time ago revealed to me, for the sake of an additional torture that my daugh- — ter lived.. It gave me new life to attempt escape, new desire to live. What must it be now that I have my son, noble, brave, and worthy, as Iam sure, clasped here in my arms? We must surely escape now.” opel) _ “Yes,” cried Aubrey, “we will escape. You have a pro- tector at least. Tell me what were your plans?” “To get to the nearest port, find our way to an Ameri- can ship, and appeal to the captain’s sympathy,” returned the «ronaut. “You see we build all our hopes on America.” _ Heaven bless_her!” said Aubrey, a soft dew coming into his eyes. “J have been educated as her son. I can never. forswear my love, even if my allegiance must be transferred. But with such a powerful enemy I fear such a plan will prove weak and unavailing. How much T would give for a little longer time for reflection.” comicboo cs Col