A Struggle for a Ring — page 234: what you’re looking at

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

© 230 COMING HOME. almost pitiful to see her as this dream faded; the color died from her face, the light from her eyes; something of never-ceasing, wistful pain came into the beautiful, pas- sionate face. She would look at herself sometimes, won- dering why she grew thinner and paler, almost uncon- scious that her very life was fading with the hope that sustained it. | Lady Gertrude and Lady Ethel Pierpont were very great friends. In Alice’s position it was quite impossible to avoid hearing much of what they said. They were always speaking of one person, but who that mysterious ‘‘he” was she could not tell. They never mentioned any name—it was ‘‘he,” ‘‘his,” ‘‘him,” and Alice wondered why the bare sound of these little pronouns made her shudder as with cold and grow faint with pain. It could mean nothing that concerned her, yet each word fell like molten lead on her heart. She heard Lady Ethel one day make some remark about Lord Carsdale’s portrait—some keen little criticism that showed her at once Lady Ethel must know his face well. She turned to her ac ah without stopping to think. ‘‘Do you know Lord Carsdale, Lady Ethel?” she ated Never had the proud eyes turned so haughtily to her before. The proud face flushed, the lips grew hard, then they softened into a marvelous smile. ‘“Yes, I know him, Miss Derwent. I was here for some weeks before he went to Gibraltar.” — Alice turned away; her heart grew faint with pain. Was this why her handsome young husband had lingered here? Was this why he had forgotten to bid her ‘‘good- by?” Then she flung her cruel thought away, saying to herself she was mad to have such fears—mad. Had not | her husband shown his high appreciation of honor? Had cS (eo) Comicboo