The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 336: what you’re looking at

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

THE LADY AND THE PAGE ol9 stop and talk to me a little,’ she continued, throwing herself back in the chair, but retaining one of his hands clasped in both her own. ‘“‘ Have you any relations or friends to be kind and good to you, Frank? ” “JT have a sister, but for some time past I have heard nothing of her,’”’ said the youth, mournfully. ‘‘ And this sister, is she older or younger than yourself? ”’ asked Juliana. ‘Oh, she is several years older than I,”’ responded the young page. “And your parents?’’ said Juliana, inquiringly. “ I heard Lord Petersfield one day mentioning to my mother that you never knew them — ”’ “And that is so far true, miss,’’ replied Francis, “ that even amongst my earliest recollections I can settle my thoughts upon none whom I called either father or mother. And yet there is in my mind the deep conviction that I have more than once seen my mother, though I called her not by that name, nor did she address me as her son.”’ “Tell me, my dear Frank, all that you remember in respect to the circumstances of your past life, for if you do not already perceive it, I must assure you that I am deeply, deeply interested in everything that concerns you,”’ and Juliana gazed with tenderness upon him. ‘The earliest reminiscences I have,’’ resumed the young page, “are connected with a pretty little cottage at no great distance from London, but in what part I cannot recollect, and there I and my sister lived with a kind old lady whom we called grandmamma. My sister, who is seven or eight years older than myself, did not then go to school, but was taught the elements of instruction by Mrs. Burnaby, for that was the old lady’s name. I remember one day when I was six years old that I and my sister were taken by Mrs. Burnaby in a hired carriage to some considerable distance from home. We stopped at a little village where another carriage was waiting for us, and this second carriage had a coachman with a powdered wig, and a tall footman with a long gold-headed cane in his hand. Both these do- mestics were dressed in handsome liveries, and the equipage itself was a very fine one. It bore us to a large and splendid- looking house in the middle of an immense park. “On arriving at this house, Mrs. Burnaby conducted me ) CONNIE LOOKS (FO)