Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 316: what you’re looking at

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

312 PEACE AT LAST, smooth passage. Thev spent a whole year abroad—a year of delight, and such as few experience in this world, and then re- turned to Brooklyu, where Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Dale Maple- son set up their own establishment on Clinton avenue, not a stone’s throw from their former home. The change in Geoffrey’s name, together with the discovery of his parentage, had been very easily explained, aud then, of course, everybody said ‘‘they always kaew that he and Everet Mapleson must have the same blood in their veins; but it wag really a very romantic circumstance—Geoffrey having been in- jured and carried off by his nurse’s husband in a fit of drunk- enness, and never discoveripg his parentage until now.” The next fall, after the yonng couple’s return from Europe, Colonel Mapleson and his wife paid them a visit, and it was noticeable thata great change had come over the strangely- wedded pair, The stately and soldierly colonel was. devotedly attached to his beantiful wife, who had aequired a peculiar gentleness and sweetness, in place of her former imperious manner, which made her tenfold more attractive. It was evident, too, that she was strongly attached to her noble husband. When she was presented to Gladys, she folded her closely in her arms. “My dear,” she said, with a thrill of tenderness in her tones that moved the young wife strangely, ‘I hope we shall be very good friends, for, although Geoffrey ig not my own son, J want to regard you both as my children!” Tears sprang into Gladys’ eyes. She lifted her face and kissed the lovely one bending above her. “Tam sure I shall love you very, very dearly,” she said. And she did. <A tender friendship was begun during that visit, which grew stronger and more devoted with every year, and when, at length, two little twin girls were born to Gladys, she named one Alice and the other Estelle. “For our two mothers,” she said to Geoffrey, with a fond smile. . Colonel Mapleson was very proud of his Annie’s boy, but his happiness wonld never be quite complete, he said, until there could be perfect harmony between his two sons. He hoped that time would bring even that to pass, for Everet had shown great remorse over the deception that he had practiced npon Gladys, and lie finaliv made an humble, though manly, confes- sion to her, and entreated her pardon for the injury he had done her and her husband. But it was not until Geoffrey was called to the death-bed of his father, three years after his marriage, that they really became friends. . The making of Colonel Mapleson’s will brought it about, for COmicloooks