A Struggle for a Ring — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

AT SCHOOL. 189 ‘©A mistaken marriage,’ he heard the words over and over again in his mind before the incident faded from him. Whenever his thoughts reverted to his return home it was on Lady Ethel they rested ; he never, even in his imagina- tion, saw himself returning to his young wife, Ailie. So time passed with him, while for Lady Ethel there was quite another phase. Lady Pierpont was growing dis- satisfied with her; she wondered what could possess her. One brilliant offer after another was made to her, and she refused it. As Lady Pierpont said to herself, ‘‘the girl might as well have been plain.” Here she was, the love- liest woman in Europe—princes, dukes, and earls, all sighing for her, while to all of them she turned a deaf ear. She refused some of the best matches in Europe, and Lady Pierpont was almost in despair over it. ‘‘What do you mean, Ethel?” she said to her one day. ‘¢My dear, I am very anxious over you. You send away one eligible man after another. I must ask you for whom are you waiting?” ‘‘For whom, mamma? ‘That would be difficult to tell. For the right person, I should imagine.” Lady Pierpont looked very grave. ‘‘Tf you have not met him yet,” she replied, ‘‘I shall begin to fear that you will not meet him at all.” Lady Ethel laughed, and if in that laughter there was a sad ring, like the minor key in a beautiful harmony, the ambitious mother never perceived it. . Why * SAS cS comicboo nm