Roxy Hastings — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS, 181 * That’s what I tell’him, Mr. Lee.” “ But I don’t want Louis to stand even under suspicion of being in your debt, while he is so largely our creditor. TI want to buy all your claim against him, and all your right to utter one word of blame or censure against him, either to his face, or before others, including, of course, his mother and sisters.” “Charley laughed as he said this, and Eldon laughed, too, and looked a little ashamed. ; “ What’s the price?” continued Lee, taking out his pocket-book, for he knew his man too well to be afraid of his resenting the offer. “ Nonsense !” exclaimed Mrs. Eldon. “ Put up your money ; you don’t suppose Eldon would—” “The price is what I named,” interrupted the husband, without taking any notice of his wife. “And for three hundred dollars you will sell me the ex- clusive right to scold and grumble at Lewy for any wrong he has done you 2” “Ves. Pe] Charles counted out the money, still smiling; Mrs. Eldon blushed and protested ; the other ladies said it was a good joke, let it go on, and the shameless man received, counted, and pocketed the bills with most evident satisfac- tion. A little further urging after this induced him to leave his wife with her new friends when he went home, and when, a few weeks subsequently, she returned, bearing enforced gifts for the unknown Celia and Mary Ann, and Irene— gifts for Thomas and George and Harry, far exceeding, in the aggregate, the value of his own “spoils,” the sub- dued man began to comprehend that the law of kindness was superior to that of harshness and exacting severity. CHAPTER XXXV. ‘‘, BAD PENNY ALWAYS RETURNS.” We must go back briefly to take a survey of what had befallen the Hastings family during the considerable period in which they have disappeared from our history. Charles’ advice to them had been carefully followed in one respect, for Roxana had been placed at school in one of-the best seminaries of the city, but neither her mother nor Emily had relaxed their labors with the needle, Eomicbhoo (Q) cS (E(0)