Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

; THRICE WEDDED. 2 173 ‘Wiillingly, with Miss Dupont’s leave,” sne smiled. ‘'Tlhanks,” he returned, fervently. “‘And now I am ready to go to my friend.” She turned, and sweeping aside the drapery, pressed upon a spring, and the heavy stone before mentioned swung back. She then blew a tiny silver whistle which hung at her gir- dle, and stood waiting. Almost instantly Robert Ellerton parted the hangings in his room and appeared. “Mr. Ellerton, come quick!” she exclaimed, her beauti- ful face all aglow with glad triumph. There was a joyous ring in her voice that made him quicken his steps, and he had hardly entered her boudoir when his hand was warmly grasped, and the word ‘‘Rob- ert!” was uttered in familiar and welcome tones. : -**Rredrich! Heaven bless you, my boy, how came you ere?” Gently as they could they told him the whole story, and notwithstanding that he was somewhat prepared to learn that harm had happened to his darling, still his suffering was pitiful when he learned the extent to which the villains had carried their vile plottings. ~ Dora herself was not paler than he at this moment, and they had hardly finished their account, when he sprang wildly to his feet and begged them to take him to her. Vivien went up to him and said, gently: ‘‘My dear-friend, I beg that you will be calm. Miss Du- pont had fainted when we came for you, and it would un- nerve her again to see you thus moved, if she should be re- covered.” ‘Thanks, my sweet sister, for your kindly warning; I will be calm, but I beg you will not: keep me longer here.” He dashed through the entrance of the room as he spoke, in direct contradiction of his’ previous assertion that he would be calm; but he soon stopped and waited for Vivien to come up with him, for he did not know one step of the __ way through those intricate passages. At last they entered the spacious room. Wholly unmindful of the conquered chief, who gazed at him with black and threatening looks, passing over with — : one swift glance of his eye every inmate of the place, until his gaze fell upon the group at the altar, when with one Bs : comicbooks.co