Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

110 A LONG AND INTERESTING CONVERSATION. “That would have ended all our difficulties—the money woul!) have been ours without restrictions.” “What finally induced you to change your mind?” Ev- eret asked, searching his mother’s handsome face ear- nestly. She did not reply for a moment, and seemed to be struggling with an inward emotion. “T shall have to confess, Everet, that it was the love of money,’ she at last said, with a sigh, although a slight smile played over her brilliant lips. ‘I had known what poverty was asa girl, and I hated it. I had struggled during my youthtul years for even the necessaries of life, for,as you know, my father was poor and an invalid. After I came into the possession of my share of Uncle Ja- bez’s money I enjoyed every luxury and was enabled to provide all the family with comforts such as they had never known before. Do you think it would have been easy to have gone back to the hardships of my early life?” “TI suppose it would not have been easy.” “Your father was situated somewhat the same. He had been dependent upon Uncle Jabez’s bounty ever since the death of his parents, and, although he was as indig- nart as I, at first, over this will, and vowed he would not submit to any such arbitrary conditions, vet. after years of luxurious living, when he began to realize what it would be to be deprived of it, he came to me and asked if I was willing to revoke my early decision, and become his wife.” “But, mother, was there no one else inall the world whom you would have preferred to marry?—no one whom you had met and loved? Was there no romance in either vf your lives that would conflict with such a pro- ceeding?” Everet anxiously asked. “No, there was no one whom I loved better—no | one whom I would have been as willing, even, to marry.’ ‘‘That seems very strange! How old were you at es time !” “Twenty-four—it was my last year of ‘grace,’ ’ replied Mrs. Mapleson, with a little laugh. “Have you never met any one since who has made you regret the step ?” “No, Everet; and if I had, I had too much respect for myself and for your father to ever have yielded to any such sentiment. More than that, I have become deeply attached to my husband, and our life, as you well know, has been a remarkably peaceful and uncheckered one.” comiclooolks.c