The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 145 keen sense of the family disgrace which had led him to conceal from Captain Bennydeck his brother’s illicit relations with Syd- ney Westerfield, had compelled him to keep secret his for.ner association as brother-in-law with the divorced wife. Her change of name had hitherto protected her from discov. ery by the captain, and would in all probability continue to p:0- tect her in the future. The good Bennydeck had been enjoying himself at sea when the divorce was granted, and when the newspapers reported the proceedings. He rarely went to hi. club, and he never associated with persons of either sex to whon- gossip and scandal are as the breath of their lives. Ignorant c. these circumstances, and remembering what had happened ca that day, Mrs Presty looked at him with some anxiety on her daughter’s account, while he was reading the message on Ran- dal’s card. There was little to see. His fine face expressed a quiet sorrow, and he sighed as he put the card back in his pocket. An interval of silence followed. Captain Bennydeck was thinking over the message which he had just read. Catherine and her mother were looking at him with the same interest, in- * spired by very different motives. The interview so pleasantly begun was in some danger of lapsing into formality and embar: rassment, when a new personage appeared on the scene. Kitty had returned in triumph from her ride. ‘*‘ Oh, mamma, the donkey did more than gallop—he kicked, and I never fell off!” She had got as far as that, when the progress of her nar- native was suspended by the discovery of a strange gentleman in the room. The smile that brightened the captain’s face when Kitty opened the door, answered for him asa man who loved children. ** Your little girl, Mrs. Ormond ?” he said. ‘* Yes.” (A common question and a common reply. Nothing worth noticing, in either the one or the other, at the time—and yet they proved to be important enough to turn Catherine’s life into & new course.) In the meanwhile Kitty had been whispering to her mother, She wanted to know the strange gentleman’s name. ‘The cap- tain heard her. ‘*‘My name is Bennydeck,” he said; *‘ will you come to me?” Kitty had heard the name mentioned in connection with a acht. Like all children she knew a friend the moment she ooked at him. ‘‘ I’ve seen your pretty boat, sir,” she said, cross- ing the room to Captain Bennydeck. ‘Is it very nice when you go sailing ?” ‘Tf you were not going back to London, my dear, I should ask your mamma to let me take you sailing with me. Perhaps we shall have another opportunity.” The captain’s answer delighted Kitty. ‘‘Oh, yes, to-morrow or next day!” she suggested. ‘*‘ Do you know where to find me in Londcn? Mamma, where do I live when I am in London?” Before her mother could answer, she hit on a new idea. ‘* Don’t EOMICLOOOKS (E() im