Gratia's Trials — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

80 GRATIA’S TRIALS. along in your household expenses, and I think I may depend on your loving custody of my little treasure.” Mrs. Falconer murmured something about Hugo always having been more than generous, and her own consciousness and appreciation of the trust reposed in her, but he interrupted the partially completed sentence. ‘And before I go, mother, I have determined to put at once into execution a plan which I have long had in contemplation. I mean to give my‘solitary child a sister and a companion.” Mrs. Falconer stared, and breathed quickly. Could it be possible that her son contemplated the, to her, distaste- ful step of marrying again, after all the years which he had dwelt a contented widower? But his next words entirely dissi- pated this half-formed idea, and replaced it with a certainty ~ which was, ‘‘if possible, more odious” still. eS! eee to adopt Gratia Kempfield as my sega and Ida’s sister,” slowly uttered Colonel Falconer. “““ Hugo!” almost shrieked his mother, ‘‘you surely are not in earnest ?” “Ves, lam. Why should I not be?” ‘©A girl like’ that—a nameless, homeless creature—the mere | scum of the gutters BS ‘<Stop a minute, mother, if you please,” said Hugo, calmly. ‘Nameless and homeless she is no longer. I have endowed her with my name and my home. The ‘scum of the gutters’— to use words which I must confess I never expected to hear from my mother’s lips—she never has been. The mere fact that I wish and intend to make her my daughter’s companion, is sufficient proof of that, I should think.” He spoke with a certain stern dignity ‘2 mianner, before which Mrs. Falconer quailed. Ralph,” she exclaimed, antan as a last resort, to her brother, ‘‘ what do you think of this?” ‘‘Humph !” observed the old bachelor, slowly removing his EComicbooks. Go