The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 18 brute became cheery and confidential. ‘‘ So he made you a bad husband, did he? Up with his fist and knocked you down, 1 dare say, if the truth was known ?” ‘‘ You’re allin the wrong, dear. He would have been a good husband, if I had cared about him. I never cared about any- aed but you. It wasn’t Westerfield who tempted me to say es.” ‘‘ That’s a lie.” ‘“No, indeed, it isn’t.” ‘‘Then why the devil did you marry him ?” ‘When I married him, Jemmy, there was a prospect—oh, how could I resist it? Think of being one of the Le Basques! Held in honor, to the end of my life, by that noble family, whether my husband lived or died!” To the barman’s ears this sounded like sheer nonsense. His experience in the public-house suggested an explanation. ‘I say, my girl, have you been drinking ?” Mrs. Westerfield’s first impulse led her to rise and point in- dignantly to the door. He had only to look at her—and she sat down again a tamed woman. ‘‘ You don’t understand how the chance tempted me,” she answered, gently. ‘‘ What chance do you mean ?” “The chance, dear, of being a lord’s mother.” He was still puzzled, but he lowered his tone. The true-born Briton bowed by instinct before the woman who had jilted him, when she presented herself in the character of a lord’s mother. ** How do you make that out, Maria?’ he asked, politely. She drew her chair nearer to him, when he called her by her Christian name for the first time. ‘* When Westerfield was courting me,” she said, ** his brother «my lord) was a bachelor. A lady—if one can call such a creat- ure a lady!—was living under his protection. He told Wester- field he was very fond of her, and he hated the idea of getting married. ‘If your wife's first child turns out to be a son,’ he said, ‘ there is an heir to the title and estates, and I may go on as [am now.’ We were married a month afterward—and when my first child was born it wasa girl. I leave you to judge what the disappointment was! My lord (persuaded, as I suspect, by the woman I mentioned just now) ran the risk of waiting an- other year, and a year afterward, rather than be married. Through all that time I had no other child or prospect of a child. His lordship was fairly driven into taking a wife. Ah, how I hate her! Their first child was a boy—a big, bouncing, healthy brute of a boy! And six months afterward, my poor little fel- low was born. Only think of it! And tell me, Jemmy, don’t I deserve to be a happy woman, after suffering such a dreadful disappointment as that? Is it true that you’re going back to America ?” ‘* Quite true.” ‘‘'Take me back with you.” ‘‘ With a couple of children ?” ‘‘No. Only with one. I can dispose of the other in England, Wait a little before you say no. Do you want money ?” COMIC OO® S (E() im