The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

60 THE EVIL GENIUS. at Mount Morven. ‘‘ The good qualities of that unfortunate young creature” (she had said) ‘‘ can not have always resisted the horrid temptations and contaminations about her. Hundreds of times she must have had deceit forced on her; she must have led through ungovernable fear.” Elevated a little higher than ever in her own estimation, Mrs. Presty took Sydney’s arm, and led her down to breakfast with motherly familiarity. Linley met them at the foot of the stairs. His mother-in-law first stole a look at Sydney, and then shook hands with him cordially. ‘“My dear Herbert, how pale you are! That horrid smoking. You look as if you had been up all night.” Mrs. Linley paid her customary visit to the schoolroom that morning. The necessary attention to her guests had left little leisure for the exercise of observation at the breakfast-table; the one cir- cumstance which had forced itself on her notice had been the boisterous gayety of her husband. Too essentially honest to practice deception of any kind cleverly, Linley had overacted the part of a man whose mind was entirely at ease. The most un- suspicious woman living, his wife was simply amused. ‘* How he does enjoy society!” she thought. ‘‘ Herbert will be a young man to the end of his life.” In the best possible spirits—still animated by her successful exertions to entertain her friends— Mrs. Linley opened the school- room door briskly. ‘*‘ How are the lessons getting on?’ she be- gan—and checked herself withastart. ‘‘ Kitty!” she exclaimed. ‘* Crying ?” The child ran to her mother with tears in her eyes. ‘* Look cf Syd! She sulks, she cries, she won’t talk to me—send for the octor.” ‘You tiresome child, Idon’t want the doctor. [’m not ill.” ‘‘There, mamma!” cried Kitty. ‘‘She never scolded me be- fore to-day.” In other words, here was a complete reversal of the usual order of things in the schoolroom. Patient Sydney was out of temper; gentle Sydney spoke bitterly to the little friend whom she loved. Mrs. Linley drew a chair to the governess’ side, and took her hand. The strangely altered girl tore her hand away, and burst into a violent fit of crying. Puzzled and frightened, Kitty (to the best of a child’s ability) followed her example. Mrs. Linley took her daughter on her knee, and gave Sydney's outbreak of agitation time to subside. There were no feverish appearances in her face, there was no feverish heat in her skin, when their hands had touched each other for a moment. In ail probability the mischief was nervous mischief, and the outburst of weeping was an hystericai effort at relief. ‘‘T am afraid, my dear, you have had a bad night,” Mrs. Lin- ley said. ‘‘Bad? Worse than bad!” Sydney stopped, looked at her good mistress and friend in ter- ror, and made a confused effort to explain away what she had just said. As sensibly and kindly self-possessed as ever, Mrs. Trier told her that she only wanted rest and quiet. ‘‘ Let me ECONNICLOOKS .e® mn