FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   >>  
about the skull, in the midst of which was a Mexican ear-ring of elaborate workmanship. Everything told them that the skeleton was that of a woman. Glancing round the hall, the ladies could not see any door. How did Cora get there? Before they had time to inquire, little Cora saw something inside the gate, and with her usual quick movement, she swiftly passed her tiny hand between the closely placed iron bars and from a small heap of debris of finger bones, drew out a richly chased gold ring, inscribed with the name of "Inez;" set in it was a large ruby in the form of a heart. The child who possessed as part of her inheritance a fine, sensitive instinct, looking at her mother, observed that her long silken eyelashes were wet with tears, and that traces of recent mental agony lingered on her face. In an instant, the dear little soul strove to comfort and cheer, after the manner so often employed by each of her guardians toward herself. Holding up the ring in one hand, and clinging round her mother with the other, she said, "See, mama, Cora dot pitty sing for mama. Don't ky, don't ky, Cora loves mama." "Sweet child," exclaimed Anna, taking her up into her arms and holding her to her heart. "Sweet child, more precious to us every day, for each one reveals some new beauty of character, some still more lovable trait. Come, dear Ada, come away," she continued. "I will carry Cora. How did my little godchild come here?" she said, addressing the little one in her arms. "Kitta doe," answered Cora. "Yes darling, where did kitta go?" "By dare," said the child, pointing to a massive column, one side of which was built close to the wall and had the appearance of being placed there as a support, but was in reality to conceal a doorway which led to a flight of stairs between two walls. The ladies went up, Miss Vyvyan carrying Cora. They soon found themselves in one of the rooms which was nearly filled with firearms and other implements of warfare. The entrance to it at the top of the stairs was concealed in the same manner as the doorway below, and but for Cora following the little white kitten, the ladies might have lived many years in the castle and never have seen it. The subterranean passage into which they accidentally crawled, had been made for a place of concealment in case of a sudden attack upon the castle. CHAPTER X. Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, That host with their
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   >>  



Top keywords:

ladies

 

manner

 

mother

 

doorway

 

stairs

 

castle

 
column
 
massive
 

pointing

 
appearance

flight
 

conceal

 
support
 

reality

 

lovable

 

beauty

 
character
 
continued
 

answered

 

addressing


godchild

 
darling
 

Vyvyan

 

concealment

 
sudden
 

attack

 

subterranean

 
passage
 
accidentally
 

crawled


CHAPTER

 

summer

 

leaves

 

forest

 

filled

 

firearms

 

implements

 

warfare

 

carrying

 

entrance


kitten

 

concealed

 

reveals

 

possessed

 

elaborate

 
skeleton
 
workmanship
 

inheritance

 
silken
 

eyelashes