The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

{60 THE EVIL GENIUS. bert,” he said, warmly. ‘*She shall have your message; all that ji can do to persuade her shall be done.” ‘* As soon as possible ?” ‘* Yes—as soon as possible,” ‘‘ And you won't forget? No, no; of course you won’ forget.” He tried to rise, and fell back again into his chair. ‘' Let me rest a litile,” he pleaded, ‘‘if I’m not in the way. Ill go when you tell me.” Randal refused to let him go at all. ‘* You will stay here with me; and if I happen to be away, there will be somebody in the house who is almost as fond of you asl am.” He men- tioned the name of one of the old servants at Mount Morven, whe had attached himself to Randal after the break-up of the family, ‘*And now rest,” he said; ‘‘ and let me put this cushion under your head.” Herbert answered; ‘‘ It’s like being home again ”— and composed himself to rest. CHAPTER XL. KEEP YOUR TEMPER. On the next day but one, Randal arranged his departure for Sydenham so as to arrive at the hotel an hour before the time appointed for the dinner. His prospects of success, in pleading for a favorable reception of his brother’s message, were so un- certain that he refrained—in fear of raising hopes which he might not be able to justify—from taking Herbert into his con- fidence. Noone knew on what errand he was bent when he left the house. As he took his place in the carriage, the news- paper boy appeared at the window as usual. The new number of a popular weekly journal had that day been published. Ran dal bought it. After reading one or two of the political articles, he arrived at the columns specially devoted to ‘‘ Fashionable Inteiligence.” Caring nothing for that sort of news, he was turning over the pages in search of the literary and dramatic articles, when a name not unfamiliar to him caught his eye. He read the para- graph in which it appeared. ‘*The charming widow, Mrs. Ormond, is, we hear, among the distinguished guests staying at Buck’s Hotel. It is whispered that the lady is to be shortly united to a retired naval officer of Arctic fame, now better known, perhaps, as one of our leading philanthropists.” The illusion to Bennydeck was too plain to be mistaken. Randal looked again at the first words in the paragraph. ‘‘ The charming widow!” Was it possible that this last word referred to Catherine? To suppose her capable of assuming to be a widow, and—if the child asked questions—of telling Kitty that her father was dead, was, in Randal’s estimation, to wrong her cruelly. With his own suspicions steadily contradicting him, he arrived at the hotel, obstinately believing that *‘ the charm- ing widow ” would prove to be a stranger. 4 first disappointment was in store for him when he entered the house. Mrs. Ormond and her little girl were out driving Gomichbooks (©)