Mrs. Reed again took the paper. Her hand trembled and her face became a little pale.
"Alice," said she, "this is a picture of the old tile mantel-piece in the other room. There is some mystery about this. What can it mean?"
"Yes," said Alice, "the tiles in that mantel have quotations on them."
In an instant, Alice was on her feet and sprung into the other room, leaving Mrs. Reed in a state of wonderment.
Hastily examining the tiles in the mantel, Alice cried out: "O Mrs. Reed, do come! here is a tile with exactly the same words on it!"
Mrs. Reed hurried into the room, and had scarcely passed the threshold, when the tile fell to the hearth and broke into a dozen pieces.
Directions for Reading.—Point out breathing-places in the last paragraph.
Pronounce carefully the following words: fortunate, adjoining, clothes, hearth, sitting-room, wedding-dress.