The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

24 THE EVIL GENIUS. took place; the writer of the letter, described as an infirm old man, very poorly dressed, fulfilled his engagement, took his re- ceipt, and walked away without even waiting to be thanked. It is only an act of justice to add that the diamonds were after- ward counted, and not one of them was missing.” Miserable, deservedly miserable, married pair! The stolen fortune on which they had counted had slipped through their fingers. The berths in the steamer for New York had been taken and paid for. James had married a woman with nothing besides herself to bestow on him, except an incumbrance in the shape of a boy. Late on the fatal wedding-day his first idea, when he wags himself again after the discovery in the summer-house, was to get back his passage-money, to abandon his wife and his step- son, and to escape to America in a French steamer. He went to the office of the English company, and offered the places which he had taken for sale. The season of the year was against him; the passenger traffic to America was at its lowest ebb, and profits depended upon freights alone. If he still contemplated deserting his wife, he must also submit to sacrifice his money, The other alternative was (as he expressed it to himself) to ‘‘ have his pennyworth for his penny, and to turn his family to some good account in New York.” He had not quite decided what to do when he got home again on the evening of his mar. riage. At that critical moment in her life the bride was equal to the demand on her resources. If she was foolish enough to allow James to act on his natura} Dnpulses, there were probably two prospects before her. In one state of his temper he might knock her down. In another state of his temper he might leave her behind him. Her only hope of protecting herself, in either case, was to tame the bridegroom, In his absence she wisely armed herself with the most irresisti- ble fascinations of her sex. Never yet had he seen her dressed as she was dressed when he came home. Never yet had her magnificent eyes looked at him as they looked now. Emotions for which he was not prepared overcame this much-injured man; he stared at the bride in helpless surprise. That inestima- ble moment of weakness wasall Mrs. Bellbridge asked for. Be- wildered by his own transformation, James found himself read- ing the newspaper the next morning sentimentally, with his arms round his wife’s waist. * % & & # # * By a refinement of cruelty, not one word had been said to repare little Syd for the dreary change that was now close at and in her young life. The poor child had seen the prepara- tions for departure, and had tried to imitate her mother in packing up. She had collected her few morsels of darned and ragged clothing, and had gone up-stairs to put them into one of the dilapidated eld trunks in the garret playground, when the EOMMICLOOOMS (€©) m