Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 261: what you’re looking at

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

244 REYNOLDS’ WORKS “The better,” observed the Marquis of Eagledean, “ to enable Petersfield and Marston to work out their ulterior designs. But pray proceed.”’ | “My narative is drawing toward an end,” said Mrs. Jameson. ‘“‘ A year aiterward my poor mistress was on a visit to the Princess Sophia at St. James’s Palace. Lord Petersfield presided over the princess’s household, and by his permission her ladyship was allowed to see her little Frank again. About ten months after that, Mrs. Burnaby died. ‘Then Lord Petersfield decided upon sending Frank to the same school at Southampton where his sister Eliza- beth had already been two years. But before he was con-— ducted thither, Lady Everton begged that she might see him. Lord Petersfield declared that it must be for the last time, as the boy was getting too old to permit these occa- sional interviews to be continued with any safety to her ladyship’s secret. His lordship brought Frank'to the Park, and then took him to Southampton. Shortly after this inci- | dent Miss Dalrymple became the wife of Sir Albert Hesketh, and her cousin Miss Villers went to reside permanently with her. Lady Everton now resolved to carry into execu- tion a plan which she had some time back conceived: name- ly, that of retiring from the world. All her hopes of happi- ness in this life were dead within her; she believed your lordship married to another, she had seen her children, as she thought, for the last time, and for their future welfare she had dittle apprehension, knowing how bounteously your lordship had provided for them, and never entertaining the most distant apprehension that Lord Petersfield and her brother Sir John Marston could play those children false. When her determination of retiring to some remote seclusion was communicated first of all to Sir John, he exhibited an appearance of the most affectionate zeal in volunteering to find her a suitable dwelling; and her brother-in-law also testified a semblance of the kindest consideration, by offer- ing to purchase and make over to her whatsoever retreat Sir John Marston might decide upon. In the course of a few weeks her ladyship was informed that a sweet little domain in Wales had been found and purchased for her use.” “Yes, those villains,’’ exclaimed the Marquis of Eagle- dean, ‘‘ were all too glad to get her into quarters as remote as possible.”’ Gomichbooks