The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 203 ‘¢Why are they immoral ?” ‘For this plain reason, that they deliberately pervert the truth. Clap-trap, you innocent creature, to catch foolish read- ers! When do these consistently good people appear in the life around us, the life that we all see? Never! Are the best mortals that ever lived above the reach of temptation to do ill, and are they always too good to yield to it? How does the Lord’s Prayer instruct humanity? It commands us all, without ex- ception, to pray that we may not be led into temptation. In other words, you area human being. All that a human being could do you have done—you have repented and confessed. Don’t I know how you have suffered and how you have been tried! Why, what a mean Pharisee I should be if I presumed to despise you!” She looked at him proudly and gratefully; she lifted her arm as if to thank him by an embrace, and suddenly let it drop again at her side. ‘*Am I tormenting myself without cause?” she said. ‘‘ Or is there something that looks like sorrow showing itself to me in your face?” ‘* You see the bitterest sorrow,” he answered, ‘‘ that I have felt in all my sad life.” ‘Is it sorrow for me?’ she went on, trying to speak calmly, ‘*No. Sorrow for myself.” ‘‘Has it come to you through me? Is it my fault ?” ‘‘It is more your misfortune than your fault ?” *‘'Then you can feel for me?” ‘“‘T can and do.” He had not yet set her at ease. ‘Tt am afraid your sympathy stops somewhere,” she said. ** Where does it stop ?” For the first time he shrank from directly answering her. ‘I begin to wish I had followed your example,” he owned. ‘It might have been better for both of us if I had answered your let- ter in writing.” ‘Tell me plainly,” she cried, losing all fear of him in her anx- lety to know what was in his mind—‘‘tell me plainly, is there something you can't forgive ?” ‘“There is something I can’t forget.” “What is it? Oh, what is it? When my mother told poor little Kitty that her father was dead, are you even more sorry than Iam that I allowed it? Are you even more ashamed of me than [ am of myself ?” ‘“No. Iregret that you allowed it; but I understand how you were led into that error. Your husband’s infidelity had shaken his hold on your respect for him and your sympathy with him, and had so left you without your natural safeguard against Mrs. Presty’s sophistical reasoning and bad example. But for that wrong-doing there is a remedy left. Enlighten your child as you have enlightened me; and then—I have no personal motive for pleading Mr. Herbert Linley’s cause, after what I have seen of him—and then acknowledge the father’s claim on the child.” ‘* Do you mean his claim to see her ?” CORMAICLO® Ss (C©) im