The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

118 THE EVIL GENIUS. ‘ we had) that we would choose the shortest way across the lake, At my suggestion we changed our course, and made for a large town, higher up on the shore, called Tawley. We landed, and waited for events, and made no discovery of another boat behind us. The fools had justified my confidence in them—they had gone to Brightfold. There was half an hour to spare before the next train came to Tawley; and the fog was beginning to lift on that side of the lake. We looked at the shops, and I made a purchase in the town.” ‘‘Stop a minute,” said Randal. ‘‘Is Brightfold on the rail- way?” 66 No.” * " there an electric telegraph at the place ?” “Yes.” ‘‘That was awkward, wasn’t it? The first thing those men would do, would be to telegraph to Tawley.” i at a doubt of it. How would they describe us, do you think ?’ ‘‘ Randal answered; ‘‘ A middle-aged gentleman—two ladies, one of them elderly—and a little girl. Quite enough to identify you at Tawley, if the station-master understood the message.” ‘¢ Shall I tell you what the station-master discovered, with the message in his hand? No elderly lady, no middle-aged gentle- man; nothing more remarkable than one iady—and a litile boy.” Randal’s face brightened. ‘‘ You parted company, of course,” he said; ‘‘and you disguised Kitty! How did you manage it? ** Didn’t I say just now that we looked at the shops, and that I made a purchase in the town? <A boy’s ready-made suit—not at all a bad fitfor Kitty! Mrs. Linley put on the suit, and tucked up the child’s hair under a straw hat, in an empty yard—no idlers about in that bad weather. We said good-bye, and parted, with erievous misgivings on my side, which proved (thank God) to have been quite needless. Kitty and her mother went to the station, and Mrs. Presty and [ hired a carriage, and drove away to the head of the lake, to catch the train for London. Do you know, Randal, I have altered my opinion of Mrs. Presty.”’ Randal smiled. ‘* You, too, have found something in that old woman,” he said, ‘‘ which doesn’t appear on the surface.” ‘* The occasion seems to bring that something out,” the lawyer remarked. ‘‘ When I proposed the separation, and mentioned my reasons, I expected to find some difficulty in persuading Mrs. Presty to give up the adventurous journey with her daugh- ter and her grandchild. I reminded her that she had friends in London who would receive her, and got snubbed for taking the liberty. ‘I know that as well as you do. Come along—Im ready to go with you.’ It isn’t agreeable to my feelings to own it, but 1 expected to hear her say that she would consent to any sacrifice for the sake of her dear daughter. No such clap-trap as that passed her lips. She owned the true motive with a su- periority to cant which won my sincerest respect. ‘ Dll do any- thing,’ she said, ‘ to baffle Herbert Linley and the spies he has set to watch us.’ I can’t tell you how glad I was that she had her reward on that same day. We were too late at the station, EORNICLIOOKS ,eO