Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

Belle brought the case, and o ening it, Mrs. Stewart took from ita magnificent necklace formed of curi- ously wrought links of gold set with diamonds of almost priceless value. Hazel sprang forward with alow, startled cry the moment her astonished eyes rested upon it, “Oh! oh! where did you get it?” she cried, her face growing as white as the ruching about her neck, while she trembled with nervous excitement. Mrs. Stewart turned toward her with a look of sur- prise. Then she smiled. “T guppose you have never seen anything so mag- nificent before, It is beautiful,’ she continued, al- lowing it to swing back and forth in her hands to catch the light, ‘and itis worth a small fortune, too. Ido not believe IT shall see anything more elegant to-night. Fasten it for me, please, Miss Gay, Helena and Belle both have their gloves on,” and she laid it about her neck as she spoke. “Why! how you tremble and how eold your hands are)’ she continued, as Hazel, her face still deathly ale and with shalaug hands, took the clasp to do er bidding. ‘Does it excite you so to see such costly things? Thank you; you were very handy to have fastened that clasp so readily, for it is quite complicated. Now, [believe thatis all; come girls, T aim really proud of you both. I imagine we shall uot shane the duchess by our appearance to-night." and with one last look in the glass, and a fond smile bestowed upon her blooming daughters, Mrs, Stewart swept from the room. leaving Hazel standing alone in the middle of the floor astonished, speechless, and trembling, aud wondering if her eyesight had utterly deceived her; wondering if she should notsoon wake up and find it alla dream, for that necklace which =o — _ — ba she had but just fastened about Mrs. Stewart's neck was the fac-simile of the one that had been fastened around her own when she was rescued from the sink- ing ship by Sandy Morton so many years ago. Nay, was it a fac-simile? wasit not rather her very own—the only heirloom she had—the only clew that would ever prove her parentage and giye her her rightful position in the world? Had some one stolen it, and given or sold it to Mrs, Stewart, and was it lost to her forever? (LO BE CONTINUED,) Caiiicbooks.com