A Struggle for a Ring — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

286 4. CRUSHED FLOWER. ‘‘Miss Derwent, child,” said the countess, ‘‘if any one comes to the dcor refuse to let them in; I am going to be comfortable after my own style for a short time.” Ailie gave one quick, keen glance; she saw‘the perfect content on Lady Ethel’s face, the confusion cn her hus- band’s. Even the tone of their voices differed—Lady _Ethel’s was joyous, hearty, full of sweet music and sweet laughter—Lord Carsdale’s sad, constrained, and embar- rassed. Lady Waldrove looked up with a litle petulant laugh. ‘‘Gibraltar has not improved you, Vivian,” she said; ‘‘you used to be the most lively and amusing of com- panions, now you have nothing to say; you have very much changed.” ‘* You fancy so, mother,” he replied, carelessly. ‘‘Nay, I am sure—quite sure. Now, Lady Ethel, you shall be our umpire. Do you think that my son has im- proved—or the contrary—during his long absence?” Lady Ethel looked with a bright, warm smile into the face before her. ‘Improved !” she said. ‘‘I do not understand. I do not see the faults you see in him.” ‘‘ Which implies that you see none,” laughed the count- ess. ‘‘Then I must yield. Perhaps, after all, mine is but a fancy; he seems to me older, graver, and to have something like a shadow hanging over him— indeed, if I did not know that his life was an open book, I should say that he had a disagreeable secret to keep.” } And Ailie, looking up quickly, saw how his face dark- ened at his mother’s words. ‘“Why shculd I have a secret? and what secret should I have?” he asked, eds ‘‘ Mother, you say strange _ things.” \ — comic ofefe) . 7 ony’ Pi he Soe oe < co m