Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 359: what you’re looking at

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

342 REYNOLDS’ WORKS any spite against himself. He was unaware that she had discovered his amour with her daughter, and therefore he came to the conclusion that if she beheld him at Mr. Deni-- son’s she would pass him by unnoticed, perhaps not even recognize him at all. But still there was another considera- tion: might not Juliana, on beholding him there, become overwhelmed with confusion, and thus betray to Mr. Hawk- shaw that she was the lady of whom the squire had heard so sad a tale? We have already said that Frank did not seek to expose her; he was too generous, too noble-minded, and there was a sufficiency of love lingering in his heart to render him averse to the infliction of any unnecessary pain upon Miss [arefield. Should he, then, go to that ball? Ah! did he not know that Juhana had an immense power of command over herself? Yes, surely; and on second thoughts he calculated she would pass him coldly by, with the air of one who had never seen him before in all her life. Therefore, everything considered, Frank decided upon remaining fixed in the resolve formed on the preceding evening. Having completed his toilet, he descended to the break- fast-parlour, and Mr. Hawkshaw, who was already there, rose to welcome, not the poor-looking youth of the previous day, but an elegantly dressed young gentleman. ‘The squire had been up for hours; as early as seven o’clock he was galloping over his estate, and returning by nine, had taken a tankard of ale and a somewhat massive sandwich to allay the cravings of hunger until his guest should descend to the breakfast-table. And sumptuously provided was this breakfast-table, to which they both sat down: the board literally groaned beneath cold viands, pies and poultry, ham and tongue, various sorts of potted meats and mar- malade, besides some fish, fresh caught from the river that morning. The squire did the most ample justice to his own good things, and if he had confessed to Frank the little incident of the tankard of ale and the huge sandwich, the youth would have stared in most unfeigned wonder at the havoc which Mr. Hawkshaw was still enabled to make among the comestibles. ) ‘“ T have been thinking, Mr. Paton,’ said the open-hearted centleman, ‘‘ what I can best do to amuse you to-day. I I sha’n’t offer to take and introduce you to any of my friends in the neighbourhood, because I know that the mere cere- Gomicbooks (E(0)