Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

THRICE WEDDED. 113 hurry,’’and the poor man was seized by both arms and hurried roughly over the uneven path. He asked no more questions. His pride kept him silent, and he would not have calmly borne their coarse insolence had it been in his power to resent it. ‘They traveled more than a mile in this manner, then after the same ceremonies of stamping, passing through secret pas- sages and doors that his son had noticed, he was finally un- bound, and found himself in a large stone cell comfortably furnished. ‘The ruffians left him to himself after bolting and barring the door. The cell was lighted by a large hanging lamp, while the air which ventilated the apartment came through the upper part of the door which was formed of an iron grating. With a heavy heart he sat down to consider his uncom- fortable position, and to wonder why he was thus a prisoner. CHAPTER XIX. ‘‘T SHALL GO MAD.’’ The sound slumber into which Robert had fallen was broken by the sweetest strains of music. He sat up on his couch and rubbed his eyes, trying to arouse himself; he was bewildered, yet enchanted, for the strains continued, now bursting forth into Joyous melody, then dying away into the softest cadences, and finally sweeping on into intense passion and sadness. They seemed to come from behind his bed, and he vowed to himself that mortal ear never before heard such exquisite music. It sounded like a voice accompanied: by a harp, and the tones so clear, so sweet, were like the chiming of delicate silver bells. , He examined the tapestry hangings and found a place where they could be parted; he pulled aside the heavy folds, and saw a ponderous block of stone upon hinges, and swung open a foot or so into his chamber. Determined to learn all he could of this strange under- ground castle, and hoping this might be some secret passage which would lead him to liberty, he swung the block still farther back, and sweeping the heavy curtain aside, he beheld a fairy bower of beauty and elegance. Eomicbooks (e(@)