A Struggle for a Ring — page 202: what you’re looking at

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

198 LO WIN A HUSBAND'S HEART. ‘‘VYou are mistaken,” she said; ‘‘you are evidently con- founding Lord Carsdale with some of the other wild young heirs. I have never heard a word against him in all my life. I think he is exceptionally good.” Then madame paused in wonder, for Alice had seized her hand and kissed it in a rapture of affection. ‘‘ What is the matter, my dear child?” inquired madame, who never even dreamed of the real state of the case— ‘‘what is the matter?” ‘* Nothing ; but I thought that you looked so nice,” said Alice, hardly knowing how to get out of the dilemma. Madame laughed. 3 : “‘If you undertake to embrace every one who looks nice in that rapturous fashion you will have quite enough to do, Miss Derwent. You forget all my lessons about self-restraint. ” Alice laughed also, though she was trembling with excitement and impatience. A sudden hope, a sudden idea had occurred to her that she might possibly be the one who could undertake the situation—companion to the Countess of Waldrove—to her husband’s mother; the idea made her tremble, the beautiful face grew white with emotion ; once—twice she tried to speak, but the effort was useless—she could not. Oh, if this could but be—if she could secure this position—if she could but see her husband's mother, his sister, his home—if she could but win their liking and their love, it would be all plain sailing for her afterward; he would return to find her the valued inmate of his own home—his mother dependent on her for a hundred little services, his father attached to her, his sisters almost intimate with her; what a marvelous | change it would be, and he must be pleased at it, because it would show him how dearly she loved him after all. cS comicboo -_<cO oS ae *% 7