The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

THE EVIL GENIUS. 51 On the way to her room Mrs. Presty knocked at her daugh- ter’s door. ‘*I want to speak to you, Catherine. Are you in bed ?” ‘“No, mamma. Come in.” Robed in a dressing-gown of delicately mingled white and blue, and luxuriously accommodated on the softest pillows that could be placed in an arm-chair, Mrs. Linley was meditating on the events of the evening. ‘‘ This has been the most successful party we have ever given,” she said to her mother. ‘* And did you notice how charmingly pretty Miss Westerfield looked in - her new dress ?” ‘It’s about that girl I want to speak to you,” Mrs. Presty an- swered, severely. ‘‘I had a higher opinion of her when she first came here than I have now.” Mrs. Linley pointed to an open door, communicating with a second and smaller bedchamber. ‘‘ Not quite so loud,” she an- swered, ‘‘ or you may wake Kitty. What has Miss Westerfield done to forfeit your good opinion ?” Discreet Mrs. Presty asked leave to return to the subject at a future opportunity. 7 ‘‘T will merely allude, now,” she said, ‘‘to a change for the worse in your governess, which you might have noticed when she left the drawing-room this evening. She had a word or two with Herbert at the door; and she left him looking as black as thunder.” Mrs. Linley laid herself back on her pillows, and burst out Jaughing. ‘‘Black as thunder? Poor little Sydney, what a ridiculous description of her! I beg your pardon, mamma; don’t be offended.” ‘On the contrary, my dear, I am agreeably surprised. Your poor father—a man of remarkable judgment on most subjects— never thought much of your intelligence. He appears to have been wrong; you have evidently inherited some of my sense of humor. However, that is not what I wanted to say: Iam the bearer of good news. When we find it necessary to get rid of Miss Westerfield i Mrs. Linley’s indignation expressed itself by a look which, for the moment at least, reduced her mother to silence. Always equal to the occasion, however, Mrs. Presty’s face assumed an expression of innocent amazement, which would have produced a round of applause on the stage. ‘*‘ What have I said to make you angry?” she inquired. ‘‘Surely, my dear, you and your husband are very extraordinary people.” ‘*Do you mean to tell me, mamma, that you have said to Herbert what you said just now to me ?” ‘‘Certainly. I mentioned it to Herbert in the course of the evening. He was excessively rude. He said, ‘Tell Mrs. Mac- Edwin to mind her own business—and set her the example yourself,’” Mrs. Linley returned her mother’s look of amazement, without her mother’s eye for dramatic effect. ‘‘ What has Mrs. MacEd- win to do with it ?” she asked. “Tf you will only let me speak, Catherine, I shall be happy to CORMMICLO© S (E() im