Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

EVERET MAPLESON RETURNS TO VUE DEL'EAU. 119 returned at that season, when he might have been enjoy- ing the cool breezes of Newport, and had his pick of the fashionable belles who thronged the place. “T have not been at home fora long time, you know,” Everet responded, carelessly, ‘‘and somehow had a pecu- liar longing to get back to the old place. Mother rebelled at being left, but I promised tosend you on to take my lace.” " Colonel Mapleson shrugged his shoulders. He was not particularly fond of gay society, and was never anxious to dance attendance upon his fashionable wife, although he was proud of her beauty, and the admi- ration and attention she received wherever she went. ‘“‘T have not beenin Newport fora good many vears,” he remarked, as he passed his coffee-cup to be filled for the third time; for they were at breakfast. “Surely ydu would enjoy the trip then,” Everet re- plied. “Newport has changed greatly; it has become, literally, an island of palaces. You ought to run up there for a little change during mother’s stay.” ‘““Well, T’'il think about it; but you will be lonely if I run off just as you come home.” ‘“‘Never mind me; mother needs and wants you, and I have been in’so much excitement of late that I shall be glad to be quiet for awhile,” the young man remarked, carelessly. This was such a strange desire on the part of one who had been accustomed to frequent all the gay resorts dur- ing the summer holidays, while, too, he was looking far from well or happy, that Colonel Mapleson shot a search- ing glance into his son’s face, and began to suspect that he had been disappointed in some affair of the heart, and had come home to conceal it. “That is a new freak, isn’t if?” he asked, quietly. “You can call it soif you like; but I have been working __ pretty hard this last year, and am tired. Besides, I have not had a really good chance to fish, hunt, and ride since I entered Yale, and I mean to improve my opportunity now to my heart’s content. By the way,” he. continued, after a slight pause, ‘‘isn’t there a place called the ‘ Her: mitage’ somewhere in this vicinity, where a relative of ours, who was a sort of recluse, used to live? In some of my roamings I may like to visit it.” **Yes; Robert Dale, a distant cousin, built it and lived there for years. I suppose your mother has been telling — you about him; she always invested him with a great 5 GOmicboo S (