The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 161 with a friend, and were expected to return in good time for dinner. Mrs. Presty was at home; she was reported to be in the garden of the hotel. Randal found her comfortably established in a summer-house, with her knitting in her hands and a newspaper on her lap. She advanced to meet him, all smiles and amiability. ‘‘ How nice of you to come so soon!” she began. Her keen penetration discovered something in his face which checked the gayety of her welcome. ‘‘ You don’t mean to say that you are going to spoil our pleasant little dinner by bringing bad news ?” she added, looking at him suspiciously. ‘* It depends on you to decide that,” Randal replied. ‘‘How very complimentary to a poor useless old woman! Don’t be mysterious, my dear. I don’t belong to the generation which raises storms in teacups, and callsskirmishes with savages battles. Out with it!” Randal handed his paper to her, open at the right place. ‘‘'There is my news,” he said. Mrs. Presty looked at the paragraph, and handed her news- paper to Randal. ‘*T am indeed sorry to spoil your dramatic effect,” she said. ‘But you ought to have known that we are only half an hour behind you, at Sydenham, in the matter of news. The report is premature, my good friend. But if the newspaper people waited to find out whether a report was true or false, how much gossip would society get in its favorite newspapers? Besides, if it isn’t true now, it will be true next week. The author only says, ‘It’s whispered.’ How delicate of him! What a perfect gentleman!” ‘‘Am I really to understand, Mrs. Presty, that Catherine——” ‘‘You are to understand that Catherine is a widow. I say it with pride, a widow of my making!” ‘‘Tf this is one of your jokes, ma’am——’ ** Nothing of the sort, sir.” ‘* Are you aware, Mrs. Presty, that my brother——’ ‘Oh, don’t talk of your brother! He’s an obstacle in our way. and we have been compelled to get rid of him.” ‘* What do you mean ?” ‘*My dear Randal, I have been obliged to treat him like a char- acterinanovel. I haveshipwrecked your brother. Vessel found in the middle of the Atlantic bottom upward—all drowned, my dear friend; all drowned.” Randal drew back a step. Mrs. Presty’s audacity was some- thing more than he could understand. ‘‘Is this woman mad?” he said to himself. “Sit down,” said Mrs. Presty. ‘‘If you are determined to make a serious business of it—if you insist on my justifying myself—you are to be pitied for not possessing a sense of humor, but you shall have your own way. I am put on my defense. Very well. You shall hear how my divorced daughter and my poor little grandchild were treated at Sandyseal, after you left us.” Having related the circumstances, she suggested that Randal ? > GomiGsdooks (E() im