A Struggle for a Ring — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

A “SOCIETY” HOME. 219 she grew. They talked over every one they knew, who married well or badly, who was rich, who was honored; but in all their conversations no one ever heard the word ‘‘love.” If, indeed, any love-match came on the /afzs, it was covered with ridicule, laughed at, treated with the utmost contempt; the people who had contracted it were looked upon, at the very least, as harmless lunatics—not vicious, merely harmless. Love itself was ignored, never mentioned; income, title, diamonds, rent-roll, castles—all these were continually taken into account ; love never. Ailie could picture the fine satire in the face of Lady Waldrove at the bare idea of love. They were speaking one day of a very distant relative of the earl’s; Lady Gertrude had met him in London, and was pleased with him. She was telling her mother about him. | ‘‘He was worth knowing once,” siid the countess, ‘‘I admit; but he has lost himself by his foolish marriage.” ‘*Whom did he marry?” asked Lady Gertrude. ‘*A nobody—the daughter of some country parson—a girl without fortune or connection. He might have made himself by a good marriage—he lost himself. Do not lose your time, Gertrude, in speaking of him.” ‘‘But, mamma, his wife is a lady.” | ‘My dearest child,” replied the countess, languidly, ‘fin these days a butcher’s wife, a house-maid, a poor, struggling dressmaker, calls herself a lady. Do not waste your time, Gertrude; I shall never invite him here.” And Ailie, listening, thought to herself what chance had she. This other girl of whom they were speaking was a minister's daughter, and in her simplicity she had always thought that quite a patent of nobility. What could, or what would they say to a dancing-master’s daughter? If EOmMmIcboo c} (Eo)