A Final Triumph; or, A Lady Bachelor — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

70 A LADY BACHELOR. of all that constitutes loveliness; her conduct was irre- proachable. His final conclusion was, there had been ne mistake, no false interpretation, and, in order to account for his friend’s eccentric behavior, he must look some- where else for its provocation. He studied the mother, and only learned and concluded that she was a good and true wife and mother—a type of thousands. He studied the father, and in his immaterial weakness of character could not find the looked-for provocation. ‘Then he began to make inquiries as to the family history—sought to learn if there was any long-buried scandal which had suddenly or secretly been resurrected. The Studevants, though not a@ prominent family, were well known, and it did not ap- pear that the solution could come from this source. No family bore a fairer reputation; there was no scandal in the past history of the families of either Mr. or Mrs. Stude- vant; and after going over all the possible investigations in the, direction indicated, Laurence found himself as much at fault as when he started upon his search. The mystery seemed deeper and ‘more impenetrable, based, of course, on his original assumption concerning the true nobleness of his friend’s character and his friend’s uncon- fessed love for Eloise. There was a reason, fancied or real, and the inexorable determination of George to maintain silence concerning this reason was the element of mystery. Laurence was fully convinced that the reason was a fancied one, and it was this belief that sustained his interest in the affair and led him to seek for a solution in order to bring back hap- piness to both, He was anxious to discover it quickly, lest COPMICLOOOK<S (G(0)|