Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

was nothing to Helena Stewart, his attentions to Hazel evidently meant a great deal. “True, no one can fail to recognize that fact,’’ Miss Stewart replied, with downcast eyes and heaving bosom, ‘but the heart of a true woman cannot be purchased by even the prospect of a ducal coronet, Dr, Morton, Jet ine be frank with you,” she added, in amore contidential tone, ‘I am aware that people have assigned mine that honor. I am aware, also, that they cannot have failed to perceive that my mother’s albition would prompt her to remove mountains to gratify the dearest wish of her heart, but, I assure you, it will never be, for—I do not love—him.” This last was uttered almost in a whisper, and Percy was couscious of an inward shock as she slightly emphasized that pronoun, while her tone and the imamper in which she had made this confes- sion, told him but too plainly, that another occupied | the throne of her heart, to the utter exclusion of Lord Nelson or any other man, save—himself. He glauced at her startled and amazed, and, fet one brief instant, their eyes met, and he read in hers -@ tenderness and wistful appeal that smote him keenly. - She was very beautiful in that mood, more beauti- ful than he had ever seen her, tor there was a gentle- ness und humility in her look and mien that softened and chastened her—the proud, imperious beauty and belle was lost in the loving woman. He was, however, confounded and dismayed by this unlooked for revelation. He had never dreamed of such a thing, and had most earnestly hoped that the report of her engagement to Lord Nelson was true. Helena read, in his look of astonishmén tre Gon