Roxy Hastings — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS, 179 ‘yaa angi with kindness, and rendered completely appy-. “We thought it so strange,” said the widow, “that Louis should be so illiterate, because, you know, Alfred would not be apt to become intimate with such a man.” “Of course not.” ‘“We were repeatedly shocked by his coarseness and his greed, but we overlooked it as far as we could.” In the evening, when Eldon came, his delighted wife made sure of seeing him softened into good nature by the tidings, but the amelioration of his temper, although de- cided, was not lasting. He was glad, of course, that his son was not a felon, but he said there was no betting how soon he would become one if he went on in his present course of disobedience. They had been frightened very unnecessarily, he said, and as to the impostor, it was something he couldn’t under- stand how anybody should be taken in by him. “So we shall go home as wise as we came, I suppose,” he added. “No—oh, no—they have had far later news of Lewy than ours. He was not much punished (he doesn’t say how much) for his part in the plot, and he was quite well when he wrote, which was several days after Mr. Lee’s ecsape. And now the widow and Laura beset the churlish old chap for leave to his little wife to stay, and make them a visit of a few weeks, which she had promised to do, if her husband’s permission could be obtained. “What good would that do?” he asked. “She can stay two or three days, until my business is finished in the city.” That would save hotel expenses. That’s enough. She’ll be wanted at home, for there’s a great deal to do in the fall of the year.” Mrs. Eldon sighed, as if she would have said that no one knew that better than she. Fall and spring, summer and winter. Mrs. Lee could do no less now than extend the invitation to him, which he readily accepted. _~ On the second ensuing day Charley came home, and heard the story of what had taken place in his absence, with great interest, and greeted both the visitors with a welcome so hearty that old Eldon’s good opinion of himself was vastly increased, and he became sure that he was quite underrated at home. : | xe Charley did not censure nor even laugh at his mother and sister for their mistake, as they had dreaded; nor did cComilchook