The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 294: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHER AND SON 217 individual should bear upon the neck a mark precisely similar to that which her real offspring himself bore. Nor did Will- iam Deveril consider it at the moment to be at all strange that Lady Saxondale should thus continue so closely re- served, so extremely guarded, on these points. His mind was too full of a variety of conflicting emotions to enable him to settle his mental gaze, from the midst of that excite- ment, on any one particular subject. She had embraced him as her son, she had treated him with sympathy, she lavished upon him the evidences of maternal affection, and he claimed no more at her hands. “You must leave me now, dearest boy,’’ she at length said, “‘ or those who are in the house will consider it singular that your visit lasts so long. Come to me again when you choose, and I will always contrive to see you alone, that I may fold you in my arms. But do not write to me, on any consideration. Letters may miscarry — ”’ ‘ Mother,” interrupted Deveril, ‘“ rest assured that I will do nothing to compromise you.”’ ‘““ Dearest boy!”’ she murmured, as she once more strained him in her arms and in a few instants he took his departure. The door closed behind him, and then Lady Saxondale’s countenance became suddenly radiant with triumphant satisfaction. But it is necessary that we should afford our readers some little insight into the feelings and the motives which inspired her ladyship throughout the preceding inter- view, inasmuch as there was indeed but little sincerity in her demeanour toward him whom she had thus discovered to be her own real and lawful offspring. When the announce~ ment of this fact was so suddenly made to her, and her son fell upon his knees at her feet, she was stricken with the wildest terror lest the next phase in the startling drama should be the fullest exposure of the tremendous cheat which she had palmed upon society; but in an instant it occurred to her that if her salvation were possible, it could only be by means of a hypocritical cajolery, and therefore was it that she strained her son to her bosom. The discourse which ensued was rapid, and each successive sentence spoken by our hero was full of hope and encouragement for that vile, bad woman. She learned that Madge Somers was dead, and that she had revealed nothing beyond the bare fact of the fraud itself in respect to her own son who passed as Gomicdoo <S (EO)