Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

j wv 7 : wth Fy ¥ ’ The woman was herself in deep trouble on account of her. She told me that Annie had remained with her AN OCTOGENARIAN INTERVIEWED. 433 25 about two weeks, and during that time she received two © applications to go into families as a governess, and about | the same time she also received a letter that appeared to agitate her considerably. A day or two later, she told Mauma Gregory that she was going toa situation out of town—she would not tell where, but said she would write about it as soon as she was settled init. But she never did—at least, her nurse had not heard anything from her at the end of another year, and in great grief told me she was sure that Miss Annie must be dead, or she would - never have treated her so.” ‘It seems very strange that a young and beautiful girl should drop suddenly out of the world like that, and no- one ever learn her fate,” Everet remarked, thoughtiully. “Tt does indeed,” said Miss Southern, “and yet she had no near friends to interest themselves for her; there appeared to be no one, save her nurse and myself, who had any special interest in her, and what could two weak women do, with no tangible facts to work upon? Ihave a theory of my own about the matter, however, thoughit — may be far from the truth.” “Whatisit? Tell me, pleasé,” the young man urged, eagerly. The old Jady regarded him curiously. “You seem strangely interested in a generation of the past,” she dryly observed. “T am,” he acknowledged, frankly. “I have only © very recently learned this story about the Dales, and their connection with my ow family. Yesterday, while I was out riding, I came toa small cottage which attracted my attention. I dismounted and went to peer in at one of the windows, but every curtain was down. I finally forced an entrance by a back door, and found the house furnished just as its occupants had left it many years ago. Iwas convinced from what I had already heard that it was the Dale cottage.” “Was it a small white coitage, standing near an old mill, and not far from the pond? Was there a low -orna- mental fence around the yard, and a veranda entirely sur- rounding the house?” Miss Southern asked, “Yes; you have described it exactly.” ‘And is it still furnished ?” “1 should judge it remains just as they left it.” “That is strange, for it is more than twenty years since =) O GoM GEbhoo S co