Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

8 A STRANGE ADVENTURE. brown hair clustering about her little head, with eyes of heaven’s own blue, and delicate patrician features, which, however, were not like those of her mother, who lay pale and weak among her pillows, and who, strange to say, had betrayed no sign of joy or maternal love at the com- ing of the little stranger. Three weeks previous two ladies had arrived, late one evening, at the —— House, where the younger had regis- tered as “Mrs. EH. E. Marston and maid.” The clerk, as he read the entry, had glanced with aston- ishment at the lovely blonde who had been thus desig- nated as ‘‘maid,” for her manner and bearing were every whit as stately, cultivated, and prepossessing as that of her supposed mistress. Both ladies spoke French and German, as well as Eng- lish, fluently, and it was impossible to determine to what nationality they belonged. The younger seemed almost like a Spanish beauty of high degree, while her com- panion had more the appearance of an Anglo-Saxon. Both were richly and fashionably attired, and evidently belonged to the wealthy class, for Mrs. Marston wore jewels of the purest water in the richest of settings. She selected the most elegant suite of rooms that were un- occupied, and orjered all meals to be served in her private parlor; consequently but very little was seen or known of either mistress or maid after their arrival, although th> very fact of their so closely secluding themselves served toexcite a good deal of curiosity on the part of the other inmates of the house. After the birth of Mrs. Marston’s little daughter, Dr. Turner made his usual number of visits to see that his patient was doing weil, and then he discontinued them, although his curiosity and interest were so excited re- garding the mysterious woman and her attendant that he would have been glad of an excuse to attend her even longer. : Three weeks passed, and he was considering the pro- priety of presenting his bill, since the lady was a stranger in the city, and would doubtless leave as soon as she could doso with safety to herself and her child, when, one morning, he received a note from Mrs. Marston, re- questing him to call upon her ct his earliest convenience. That evening found him knocking at her door, his heart beating with something of excitement, and with a sense of constraint upon him such as he had never before ex- perienced. comuicboolk C@