The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER VII" THE GALLERY IN THE CHATEAU MonsIEuR VOLNEY approached his daughter and Lady Octavian, and he offered to escort them either for a continua- tion of their walk, or back to the chateau. Zoe, to whom the choice was especially addressed, decided upon the latter, for she was fearful of rambling too far. During the walk homeward, it was evident that Monsieur Volney strove to converse in a gayer strain than heretofore, and that he sought to make up by present attentions for any remissness on that score of which he had been previously guilty. On arriving at the chateau, Monsieur Volney did not in- stantaneously repair to his study, but he remained in the drawing-room to converse with his daughter and Zoe. He asked them to play upon the piano. He spoke with an un- usual degree of tender kindness to Clarine; he was evidently striving also to render himself sociable to Zoe. There could be little doubt that this was the result of a resolve which he had adopted, and which must have arisen from the reflection that it was his duty to sacrifice his own feelings somewhat for the sake of others. Besides, he had promised Clarine that in future he should think less of himself and more of her than he had previously done. In the afternoon the worthy village priest called, and on being asked to stay to dinner, he accepted the invitation. He did not take his departure until ten o’clock in the evening; the usual period for retiring to rest soon afterward arrived, and thus the ladies had as yet found no opportunity of renewing that discourse which had been interrupted in the morning. But now that Clarine had determined to make a confidante of Lady Octavian Meredith, she experienced an anxious yearning to complete the narrative which she had com- 70 CORNICLIOOKS (E(0)