The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 111 ment the lawyer showed himself she crossed the room with hur- ried steps,and took both his hands in her trembling grasp. ‘You are a goo! man, you are a kind man,” she said to him wildly; ‘‘ you have my truest respect and regard. ‘Tell me, are you really—really—really sure that the one way in which I can keep my child with me is the way you mentioned last night ?”’ Mr. Sarrazin led her gently back to her chair. The sad change in her startled and distressed him. Sincerely, solemnly even, he declared that the one alternative before her was the alternative that he had mentioned. He entreated her to control herself. It was useless; she still held him as if she were holding to her last hope. ‘‘ Listen to me,” she cried. ‘‘There’s something more; there’g another chance for me. I must and will know what you think of it.” ‘* Wait a little. Pray wait a little!” ‘‘No! not a moment. Is there any hope in appealing to the lawyer whom Mr. Linley has employed? Let me go back with you to London. I will persuade him to exert his influence—I will go down on my knees to him—lI will never leave him till I have won him over to my side—I will take Kitty with me; he shall see us both, and pity us, and help us!” ‘‘ Hopeless. Quite hopeless, Mrs. Linley.” ‘Oh, don’t say that!” ‘* My dear lady, my poor dear lady, I must say it. The man you are talking of is the last man in the world to be influenced as you suppose. He is notoriously a lawyer, and nothing but a Jawyer. If you tried to move him to pity you, he would say, ‘Madam, I am doing my duty to my client;’ and he would ring his bell and have you shown out. Yes! even if he saw you crushed and crying at his feet.” Mrs. Presty interfered for the first time. ‘*In your place, Catherine,” she said, ‘‘I would put my foot down on that man and crush him. Consent to the divorce, and you may do it.” Mrs. Linley lay prostrate in her chair. The excitement which had sustained her thus far seemed to have sunk with the sinking of her last hope. Pale, exhausted, yielding to hard necessity, she looked up when her mother said, ‘‘ Consent to the divorce,” and answered. ‘‘I have consented.” ‘And trust me,” Mr. Sarrazin said, fervently, ‘‘ to see that justice is done, and to protect you in the meanwhile.” Mrs. Presty added her tribute of consolation. ‘* After all,” she asked, ‘‘ what is there to terrify you in the prospect of a divorce? You won’t hear what people say about it—for we see no society now. And as for the newspapers, keep them out of the house.” Mrs. Linley answered with a momentary revival of energy. ‘* It is not the fear of exposure that has tortured me,” she said. ** When I was left in the solitude of the night my heart turned to Kitty; I felt that any sacrifice of myself might be endured for her sake. It’s the remembrance of my marriage, Mr. Sarrazin, that is the terrible trial to me. Those whom God hag COMMICOO® S (CO) im