Winning an Empire (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXXIX. SHARING A FORTUNE. ALLY CLIVE was on a visit to her eldest sister, Lady Markham. The post-bag had just arrived, and both ladies were for some little time immersed in the contents of their respective letters. But those of Lady Markham were apparently of a far less absorbing nature than her sister's. At any rate she had read them through, put them by, and returned to her satin-stitch, whilst Miss Sarah was still poring, with bent head, over an open sheet well covered with writing. The worker had looked up two or three times from her embroidered muslin with some amount of curiosity. At last she asked with a smile--"Can I give you any help, Sally, in coming to a decision what to answer him?" Sally looked up with an air of bewilderment. "What to answer who, Becky? I don't understand." "Why, that lover, to be sure, whose letter is giving you so much anxious thought. Don't you care for him?" Sally laughed and blushed. "I care very much indeed for the 'him' who has written this, but he is not a lover. It is from Bob, Becky, and you are as much interested in most of it as I. Oh, he is a good, kind fellow, though I always knew that well enough, even when he was a teasing big boy in the days gone by; but this proves it." Rebecca popped her needlework down, and stretched out her hand eagerly. "How does it prove it, Sal? what does he say? Let me see, you selfish little puss, keeping good news to yourself all this time. Is he bringing each of us home a diamond as big as a Nabob's head, or Persian carpets for all my rooms?" Sally laughed again. "Who's the selfish one now pray, Madam? What good would your Persian carpets do to Judith, and Frances, and Anne, and me?" And then she went and knelt down by her sister's side, and the two read the letter together...