The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

196 THE EVIL GENIUS. compliment: ‘‘You must pay the penalty of being a public character. Your marriage is announced in the newspapers.” ‘‘T seldom read the newspapers.” ‘* Ah, indeed? Perhaps the report is not true? As you don’t read the newspapers, allow me to repeat it. You are engaged to marry the ‘ beautiful widow, Mrs. Ormond.’ I think I quote those last words correctly.” Mrs. Presty suddenly got up. With an inscrutable face, that told no tales, she advanced to the door. Herbert’s insane jealousy of the man who was about to become Catherine’s husband had led him into a serious error; he had driven Cath- erine’s mother to desperation. In that state of mind she re- covered her lost audacity, as a matter of course. Opening the door, she turned round to the two men, with a magnificent im- pudence of manner which in her happiest moments she had never surpassed. ‘‘T am sorry to interrupt this interesting conversation,” she said; ‘‘ but I have stupidly forgotten one of my domestic duties. You will allow me to return, and listen with renewed pleasure, when my household business is off my mind. I shall hope to find you both more polite to each other than ever, when I come back.” She was in such a frenzy of suppressed rage that she actually kissed her hand to them as she left the room! Bennydeck looked after her, convinced that some sinister pur- pose was concealed under Mrs. Presty’s false excuses, and wholly unable to imagine what that purpose might be. Herbert still persisted in trying to force a quarrel on the captain. ‘* As I remarked just now,” he proceeded, ‘‘ newspaper reports are not always to be trusted. Do you seriously mean, my dear sir, to marry Mrs. Ormond ?” ‘*T look forward to that honor and that happiness. But I am at a loss to know how it interests you.” Ant In that case allow me to enlighten you. My name is Herbert inley.” He had held his name in reserve, feeling certain of the effect which he would produce when he pronounced it. The result took him completely by surprise. Not the slightest appearance of agitation showed itself in Bennydeck’s manner. On the con- trary, he looked as if there was something that interested him in the discovery of the name. ‘‘You are probably related to a friend of mine,” he said, quietly. ‘‘Who is your friend ?”’ ‘*Mr. Randal Linley.” Herbert was entirely unprepared for this discovery. Once more the captain had got the best of it. ‘‘ Are you and Randal Linley intimate friends?” he inquired, as soon as he had recovered himself. ‘* Most intimate.” ‘‘ It is strange that he should never have mentioned meon any occasion when you and he were together.” ‘* It does indeed seem strange.”’ Herbert paused. His brother’s keen sense of the disgrace that ECONTICLIOOKS , EO