The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

36 THE EVIL GENIUS. 10.—The School. Time’s march moves slowly, where weary lives languish in dull places. Dating from one unkept and unacknowledged birthday to an- other, Sydnev Westerfield had attained the sixth year of her martyrdom at school. In that long interval no news of her mother, her brother, or her stepfather had reached England; she had received no letter, she had not even heard a report. With- out friends and without prospects, Roderick Westerfield’s daugh- ter was, in the saddest sense of the word, alone in the world. * The hands of the ugly old clock in the schoolroom were ap- proaching the time when the studies of the morning would come toanend. Wearily waiting for their release, the scholars saw an event happen which was a novelty in their domestic ex- perience. The maid-of-all-work audaciously put her head in at the door, and interrupted Miss Wigger, conducting the educa tion of the first class. ‘Tf you please, miss, there’s a gentleman——” Having uttered these introductory words, she was reduced to silence by the tremendous voice of her mistress. ‘*Haven’t I forbidden you to come here in school hours? Go away directly!” Hardened by a life of drudgery, under conditions of perpetual scolding, the servant stood her ground, and recovered the use of her tongue. ‘‘There’s a gentleman in the drawing-room,” she persisted. Miss Wigger tried to interrupt her again. ‘* And here’s his card! she shouted, in a voice that was the loudest of the two. Being a mortal creature, the schoolmistress was accessible to oan prompnes of curiosity. She snatched the card out of the irl’s hand. ‘“* Mr. Herbert Linley, Mount Morven, Perthshire. I don’t know this person,” Miss Wigger declared. ‘*‘ You wretch, have you jet a thief into the house ?”’ ‘* A gentleman, if ever I see one yet,” the servant asserted. ‘* Hold your tongue! Did he ask forme? Do you hear ?” ‘*You told me to hold my tongue. No, he didn’t ask for ou.” ‘‘Then whom did he want to see ?” ‘* It’s on his card.” Miss Wigger referred to the card again, and discovered (faintly traced in pencil) these words: ‘‘ To see Miss S. W.” The schoolmistress instantly looked at Miss Westerfield. Miss Westerfield rose from her place at the head of the class. The pupils, astonished at this daring act, all looked at the teacher—their natural enemy, appointed to supply them with undesired information derived from hated books. They saw one of Mother Nature’s favorite daughters; designed to be the darling of her family, and the congneror of hearts among men of all tastes and ages. But Syndey Westerfield had lived for six weary years in the place of earthly torment, kept by Missa Wigger under the name of a school. Every budding beauty, 9 CORMICLOOKS. EO im