A Struggle for a Ring — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

LO WIN A HUSBAND’S HEART. 197 see what Lady Waldrove says: Lady Gertrude spends so - much of her time with the Duchess of Claverdon that she is almost alone; she wants an amiable, well-bred girl to write her letters, read to her, walk and drive with her—in short, I should imagine, take a daughter’s place.” ‘<’That can soon be done,” said Mrs. Howard. ‘*Not quite so soon—she is rather particular. She wants a lady; she could not endure any one but a lady— refined, well-educated, innately a lady, you understand. I really know no one who could undertake the post.” ‘‘ Lady Waldrove has but one son, I believe,” said Mrs. Howard, thoughtfully. ‘*No, only one; and he is abroad somewhere with his regiment—at Gibraltar, I believe. Lord Vivian Carsdale 1s generally considered one of the handsomest men in Englarid.” Alice was so near them that the sound of her husband's name made her grow pale and tremble. What would they have said had they known that the beautiful girl with the sad, “sweet face was Lady Carsdale? ‘‘ Handsome is as handsome does,” said Mrs. Howard. ‘¢T was quite under the impression that he was a great flirt, if not worse.” How her face flushed as she listened—how she longed to defend him—to turn round and tell those who spoke so lightly of him that, far from being a flirt, he had married her, rather than that she should lose one iota of her fair fame, or that she should suffer from the imprudence of having taken a day’s holiday with him. Her face flushed, her eyes shone brightly, her whole manner expressed the most contemptuous and bitter defiance. But there was no need. to Speak at was madame who took up the cudgels for him. | comicbooks co