A Struggle for a Ring — page 382: what you’re looking at

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

378 A STARTLING ACCUSATION. In her simple ignorance of all law, she never thought it possible that the separation could not take place, She was thinking what she would do when he had freed himself from her, and she was left alone; she would never live on money of his—never, let come what might, not if she died of hunger; nor would she ever go back home. She would go to Germany—to Heisengen; they had liked her very well there, and she might teach English and French. She would never touch his money; never look in his face or listen to his voice again. She could live out the little that remained of her life in Germany just as well asin England, and there would be no one there to trouble her while she faded away and died. Her reverie was interrupted. Lady Gertrude opened the door of her room and stood suddenly before her. She entered without the preliminary of rapping, and that sur- prised Ailie. She was more startled still when she looked at the face of the earl’s daughter; all the scorn, the con- tempt, the dislike, the loathing that could be expressed in a human countenance, was expressed in hers. Her black morning dress swept the ground; jewels shone on her white fingers; her dark, haughty head was crowned with masses of her dark, shining hair. She stood, tall and _ stately, looking down on Ailie, very much as a queen might have looked on a slave. ‘‘It is quite against my own will that Iam here, Miss Derwent,” she said. ‘‘I would not have come but for my mother’s sake. You will not be surprised to hear that your atrocious conduct has made her very ill indeed.” ‘My what?” said Ailie, looking up in wonder, and Lady Gertrude saw that the wonder was not feigned. ‘I repeat it,” she said; ‘‘your atrocious conduct !—_ GEomicboo Ss (E(0)