The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 127: what you’re looking at

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116 THE EVIL GENIUS. aig took his friend’s advice. ‘‘ Good sauce, isn’t it?” he sald, The epicure entered a protest. ‘Good?’ he repeated. ‘‘ My dear fellow, it’s absolute perfection. I don’t like to cast a slur on English cookery. But think of melted butter, and tell me if anybody but a foreigner (I don’t like foreigners, but I give them their due) could have produced this white-wine sauce? So you really had no particular motive in going to America ?” ‘*On the contrary, I had avery particular motive. Just re- member what my life used to be when I was in Scotland— and look at my life now! No Mount Morven, no model farm to look after, no pleasant Highland neighbors. I can’t goto my brother while he is leading his present life; [I have hurt Cath- erine’s feelings; I have lost dear little Kitty; I am not obliged te earn my living (more’s the pity); I don’t care about politics; I have a pleasure in eating harmless creatures, but no pleasure in shooting them. Whatis there left for me todo butto try change of scene, and go roaming about the world, a restless creature without an object in life? Have Idonesomething wrong again? It isn’t the pepper this time—and yet you're looking at me as if J was trying your temper.” The French side of Mr. Sarrazin’s nature had got the better of him once more. He pointed indignantly to a supreme prepara- tion of fowl on his friend’s plate. ‘* Do I actually see you pick- ing out your truffles and putting them on one side?” he asked. “Well,” Randal acknowledged, ‘* I don’t care about truffles.” Mr. Sarrazin rose, with his plate in his hand and his fork ready for action. He walked round the table to his friend’s side, and reverently transferred the neglected truffles to his own plate. ‘‘ Randal, you will live to repent this,” he said, solemnly. ‘In the meantime I am the gainer.” Until he had finished the truffies, no word fell from his lps. ‘*‘I think I should have enjoyed them more,” he remarked, ‘* if I had concentrated my attention by closing my eyes; but you would have thought I was going tosleep.” He recovered his English nationality after this, until the dessert had been placed on the table, and the waiter was ready to leave the room. At that auspicious moment he underwent another relapse. He insisted on sending his comph- ments and thanks to the cook. ‘‘ At last,” said Randal, ‘‘ we are by ourselves—and now I want to know why Catherine went to Germany.” CHAPTER XXIX. MR. SARRAZIN. As a lawyer, Randal’s guest understood that a narrative of events can only produce the right effect on one condition: it must begin at the beginning. Having related all that had been said and done during his visit to the cottage, including his first efforts in the character of an angler under Kitty’s supervision, he stopped to fill his glass again—and then astonished Randal by describing the plan that he had devised for escaping from the spies by crossing the lake in the fog. CONNIELOOOKS (C()