The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

162 THE EVIL GENIUS. should put himself in Catherine’s place before he ventured on expressing an opinion. ‘*‘ Would you have exposed yourself to be humiliated again in the same way?” she asked, ‘‘ end would you have seen your child made to suffer as well as yourself ?” ‘*T should have kept in retirement for the future,” he answered, ‘‘ and not have trusted my child and myself among strangers in hotels.” ‘* Ah, indeed! And you would have condemned your poor little daughter to solitude? You would have seen her pining for the company of other children, and would have had no mercy on her? 1 wonder what you would have done when Captain Bennydeck paid us a visit at the seaside? He was introduced to Mrs. Ormond, and to Mrs. Ormond’s little girl. and we were all charmed with him. When he and I happened to be left together he naturally wondered, after having seen the charming wife, where the lucky husband might be. If he had asked you about Mr. Ormond, how would you have answered him ?” ‘¢] should have told the truth.” ‘You would have said there was no Mr. Ormond ?”’ “FRY eS; ‘‘ Exactly what I did! And the captain, of course, concluded (after having been introduced to Kitty) that Mrs. Ormond was a widow. If I had said no, what would have become of my daughter’s reputation? If I had told the truth at this hotel, when everybody wanted to know what Mrs. Ormond, that hand- some lady, was—what would the consequences have been to Catherine and her little girl? No! no! Ihave made the best of a miserable situation; [have consulted the tranquillity of a truly injured woman and an innocent child—and the voice of my con- science says, Well done, Mrs. Presty!” Randal decided on leaving her. ‘*‘ Have you done all this er Catherine’s consent?” he asked, as he got up from his chair. ‘* Catherine submits to circumstances, like a sensible woman.” : es rie she submit to your telling Kitty that her father is ead ?” For the first time Mrs. Presty became serious. ‘* Wait a minute,” she answered. ‘*‘ Before I consented to an- swer the child’s inquiries, I came to an understanding with the mother. I said, ‘ Will you let Kitty see her father again? ” The very question which Randal had promised to ask in his brother’s interests. ‘*‘ And how did Catherine answer you?” he inquired. ‘*Honestly. She said, ‘I daren’t!? After that, I had her mother’s authority for telling her that she would never see her father again. She asked directly if her father was dead——” ‘“That will do, Mrs. Presty. Your defense is thoroughly wor- thy of your conduct in all other respects.” ‘‘Say thoroughly worthy of the course forced upon me and my daughter by your brother’s infamous conduct—and you will be nearer the mark!” Randal passed this over without notice, ‘‘ Be so good,” he said, ‘‘ as to tell Catherine that I try to make every possible al- EOMMICOOOKS (C©) m