The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 212: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 201 again. ‘‘ He's fond of the child,” she suggested; ‘‘let’s send Kitty.” Some little girls were at play close by who knew where Kitty was to be found. In a few minutes more they brought her back with them. Mrs. Presty gave the child her instructions, and sent her away proud of her errand, and delighted at the pros- Laci = visiting the captain by herself, as if she ‘‘ was a grown- up lady.” "This time the period of suspense was soon atanend. Kitty came running back. ‘It’s lucky you sent me,” she declared. ‘* He wouldn’t have opened the door to anybody else—he said so nimself,”’ ‘‘Did you knock softly, as I told you ?” Mrs. Presty asked. ‘‘No, grandmamma, I forgot that. I tried to open the door, he called out not to disturb him. I said, ‘It’s only me,’ and he opened the door directly. What makes him look so pale, mamma? Is he ill?” ‘‘Perhaps he feels the heat,” Mrs. Presty suggested, judi- ciously. : ‘‘ He said, ‘ Dear little Kitty,’ and he caught me up in his arms and kissed me. When he sat down again he took me on his knee and he asked me if I was fond of him, and I said ‘ Yes, lam,’ and he kissed me again, and he asked if I had come to stay with him and keep him company. I forgot what you wanted me to say,” Kitty acknowledged, addressing Mrs. Presty; ‘*so I made it up out of my own head.” “© What did you tell him ?” ‘“‘T told him, mamma was as fond of him as I was, and I said, ‘IT mean to bring her with me!’ He put me down on the floor, and he got up and went to the window and looked out. I told him that wasn’t the way to find her, and I said, ‘ |] know where she is; I'll go and fetch her.’ He’s an obstinate man, our nice captain. He wouldn’t come away from the window. I said, ‘You want to see mamma, don’t you? And he said ‘ Yes.’ ‘You mustn’t lock the door again,’ I told him, ‘she won’t like that;’ and what do you think he said? He said, ‘ Good-bye, Kitty! Wasn't it funny? He didn’t seem to know what he was talking about. If you ask my opinion, mamma, I think the sooner you go to him the better.” Catherine hesitated. Mrs. Presty on one side, and Kitty on the other, led her between them into the house. CHAPTER LII. ‘‘T/HOMME PROPOSE, ET DIEU DISPOSE.” CAPTAIN BENNYDECK met Catherine and her child at the open door of the room. Mrs. Presty, stopping a few paces behind them, waited in the passage, eager to see what the captain’s face might tell her. It told her nothing. But Catherine saw achange in him. There was something in his manner unnaturally passive and subdued. It suggested the idea of a man whose mind had been forced into an effort at self-control which had exhausted its power, and had allowed the COMMICLO® Ss (EO) im