Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

A LONG AND INTERESTING CONVERSATION. 1 “And father——” the young man began, and then hesi- tated. **He told me frankly when he asked me to marry him, that he had no other attachment,” interposed Mrs. Maple- son; “in fact we mutually confessed that, athough we did not possess any romantic love for each other, such as lovers usually entertain, we had none for any one else; that we did admire and esteem each other, and we be- lieved that a marriage would, under the circumstances, be best for us both.” ‘It is the strangest union I ever heard of, and I believe it was a very dangerous thing to do.” “Dangerous? Why ?” “You might have met some one later, whom you would have learned to love, and unhappiness must have result- ed from it to all parties.” ‘‘fhat was hardly probable, for we had both been much in society and had seen a great deal of the world. At all events we have been a very contented couple. Ourearly | admiration and simple liking have ripened into a deep © and lasting affection, and we have been as quietly happy as most married people, I believe.” The young man regarded his mother curiously. It seemed very strange to him that such a beautiful woman as she was and must have been in her youth, should have | missed that sweetest of all experiences—youthiul loving — and being loved. She was just the person, he thought, to have inspired z = the most ardent passion in the heart of some strong, true- minded man; and just the woman to have loved sucha man most fervenily and devotedly. He almost wondered that his father had not fallen mad- ly in love with her at the very outset, and yet he could — understand how the spirit of antagonism had _ been ardused in them, from the fact of not having been al- lowed to choose for themselves in a matter so vital to their interests and happiness. “You say that this cousin, Robert Dale, was an old bachelor?” he asked, after a few moments of-thought. ‘Yes, and he was every bit as eccentric as Uncle Jabez himself.” “Are you sure that he never married? Somehow, what you have told me has created a suspicion in my mind that this Geoffrey Dale Huntress, after ali, oy be in some way connected with these Dales atu ome.” | GOMmIiGDoo S (E(0) =)