The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

58 THE EVIL GENIUS. each other no more. I must say good-bye to Kitty—I must go, Help me to submit to my hard lot, I must go.” He set her no example of resignation; he shrunk from the prospect that she presented to him. ‘* Where are you to go if you leave us ?” he asked. ‘‘Away from England! The furtheraway from you the better for both of us. Help me with your interest: have me sent to the new world in the west, with other emigrants. Give me something to look forward to that is not shame and despair. Let me do something that is innocent and good—I may find a trace of my poor lost brother. Oh, let me go! Let me go!” Her resolution shamed him. He rose to her level, in spite of himself. ‘*T dare not tell you that you are wrong,” he said. ‘‘I only ask you to wait a little till we are calmer, before you speak of the future again.” He pointed to the summer-house. ‘‘ Go in, my poor girl. Rest and compose yourself, while I try to think.” He left her, and paced up and down the formal walks in the garden. Away from the maddening fascination of her presence, his mind grew clearer. He resisted the temptation to think of her tenderly; he set himself to consider what it would be well to do next. The moonlight wasseen no more. Misty and starless, the dark sky spread its majestic obscurity over the earth. Linley looked wearily toward the eastern heaven. Thedarkness daunted him; he saw init the shadow of hisown senseof guilt. The gray glim- mering of dawn, the songs of birds as the pure light softly climbed the sky, roused and relieved him. With the first radiant rising of the sun he returned to the summer-house. - aH I disturb you ?” he asked, waiting at the door. é¢ O.”’ <¢ Will you come out and speak to me?” ote appeared at the door, waiting to hear what he had to say to her. ‘‘T must ask you tosubmit to a sacrifice of your own feelings,” he began. ‘‘ When I kept away from you in the drawing-room last night—when my strange conduct made you fear that you had offended me—I was trying to remember what I owed to my good wife. I have been thinking of her again. We must spare her a discovery too terrible to be endured, while her attention is claimed by the guests who are now in the house. Ina week’s time they will leave us. Will you consent to keep up appearances? Will you live with us as usual, until we are left by ourselves ?” ‘‘Tt shall be done, Mr. Linley. I only ask one favor of you. My worst enemy is my own miserable, wicked heart. Oh, don’t you understand me? Iam ashamed to look at you!” He had only to examine his own heart to know what she meant. ‘‘Say no more,” he answered, sadly. ‘‘ We will keep as much away from each other as we can.” She shuddered at that open recognition of the guilty love which united them, in spite of their horro1 of it, and took refuge from him in the summer-house. Nota word more passed be- EONHICLIOO) KS ,(O