The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 7% ‘‘ At bedtime I went into Catherine’s room. Our interview began and ended in less than a minute. It was useless to ask if the captain had proposed marriage; her agitation sufficiently informed me of what had happened. My one question was: * Dearest Catherine, have you said Yes? She turned shockingly pale, and answered: ‘I have not said No.’ Could anything be more encouraging ? God bless you; good-bye for the present. ‘* ARABELLA PRESTY.” Randal laid down the letter and filled his pipe again. He was not in the least exasperated; he was only anxious to hear from Mr. Sarrazin. If Mrs. Presty had seen him at that moment, she would have said to herself, ‘‘ I forgot the wretch was a smoker.” In half an hour more the door was opened by Malcolm, and Mr. Sarrazin entered the room. ‘There are no such incorrigible gossips,” he said, ‘fas men in the smoking room of aclub. ‘Those popular newspapers began the mischief—and the editor of one of them completed it. How he got his information I am not able to say. The small-talk turned on that report about the charming widow; and the editor congratulated himself on the delicacy of his conduct. ‘ When the paragraph reached me,’ he said, ‘ the writer mentioned that Mrs. Ormond was that well-known lady, the divorced Mrs. Her- bert Linley. I thought this rather too bad, and I cut it out.’ Your brother appears to have been present—but he seldom goes to the club, and none of the members knew him even by sight. Shall I give youa light? Your pipe’s out.” Randal’s feelings at that moment were not within reach of the comforting influence of tobacco. CHAPTER XLIII. KNOW YOUR OWN MIND. THE garden of the hotel at Sydenham had originally belonged to a private house. Of great extent, it had been laid out in ex- cellent taste. Flower-beds and lawns, a handsome fountain, seats shaded by groups of fine trees at their full growth, com- pleted the pastoral charm of the place. A winding path led across the garden from the back of the house. It had been con- tinued by the speculator who bought the property until it reached a road at the extremity of the grounds which communi- cated with the Crystal Palace. Visitors to the hotel had such pleasant associations with the garden that many of them returned at future opportunities, instead of trying the attrac- tion of some other place. Various tastes and different ages found their wishes equally consulted here. Children rejoiced in the finest playground they had ever seen. Remote walks, secluded among shrubberies, invited persons of reserved dis- position who came as strangers, and as strangers desired to remain. The fountain and the lawn collected sociable visitors, who were always ready to make acquaintance with each other. Even the amateur artist could take liberties with Nature, and find the accommodating limits of the garden sufficient for his purpose, CONMNICLOO (CO) im