Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY. 135 | learned that the faithful old nurse had died nearly two | years previous. He was deeply disappointed in having his way thus hedged about, for he was puzzled to knew what step to take next. He regretted more than ever that he had neglected to question Margery at the time of his encounter with her in New York. Had he done so, he felt as if he might have now held the key to this perplexing riddle. He turned his face homeward, more miserable and troubled over the matter than he would have cared to Own. CHAPTER XXII. A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY “T shall hunt up that old hermit’s retreat today,” Everet Mapleson said, as he awoke the next morning. “T want to see for myself just how and where he lived. I begin to find these researches into the past somewhat in- teresting, if perplexing. I enjoy real romances, but not. unfinished ones. I like to be able to complete a story, and have all the characters definitely disposed of. It be- gins to look, though, as if Miss Annie Dale was a lost heroine, and like the celebrated ‘Lost Chord,’ never likely to be recovered or accounted for. “So this queer old character, Robert Dale, was her mother’s lover?” he resumed, as he began to dress. “ How strangely things get mixed in this world. Why can’t people always love the right ones, and escape all this jealousy and disappointment? Nannie Davenport’s story is likelv to be repeated in this generation. Oh, Gladys, — why couldn’t you have loved me instead of that mysteri- ous personage who seems tc have won your favor? I could have given you an honorable name, wealth, anda proud position in life, while he has literally nothing to offer you. But,” his face assuming a stony. expression, “T will not give you up even now! I will move mountains to accomplish my purpose, and you shall yet be Gladys Mapleson !” After breakfasting, the young man ordered his horse to be saddled, and, after i inquiring of the groom the way to the “Dale Hermitage,” as the recluse’s home was ealled, he mounted and rode away toward the forest, in the depths” COMMICLOOKS (E(0) =}