Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 270: what you’re looking at

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

THE INTERVIEW 293 Lady Everton had spoken thus with a wild, gushing vehe- mence which prevented the marquis from giving an imme- diate reply. It was a perfect torrent of feelings, — the feelings of a mother who now knew no other consideration than the duty which she owed toward the children of her only love, and whom she longed to acknowledge as her own. “It shall-all be as you desire,’’ answered the marquis. ‘““ It is for you to decide. Oh, believe me, if you have strength enough to dare the opinion of the world, I have lived long enough to be too independent of it to sacrifice any of my own feelings to its prejudices. Be it therefore as you say, dearest Alexandrina, and rest assured that Adolphus will not blush for you, nor hesitate to own Elizabeth and Frank as a sister and a brother.”’ ‘““ Henceforth all our ideas of happiness,” said Lady Ever- ton, ‘‘shall be centred in domestic joys. I[f we be blessed in our children, what care we for the world? And you will be a father to Adolphus, will you not? Yes, I know you will, for after all he has undergone, after that cruel and hideous captivity, his experience of the world must be circumscribed indeed, and he will require all the counsel and all the care which you can bestow upon him.” ‘ He shall have it,’’ responded the marquis ‘“ He shall be to me as dear as Elizabeth and Frank themselves. And let me add, my dear Alexandrina,” he continued, 1n a lower tone, “that the unsophisticated condition of Adolphus’s - mind, his inexperience in all worldly matters, his ignorance of the selfish motives which sway men’s actions and opinons, and his appreciation of everything that is natural only, in contradistinction to everything that is artificial, will lead him to sympathize with a mother whose hand was sacrificed to one when her heart was engaged to another. No, there is not the slightest dread that Adolphus will blush when he learns that mother’s history.” “What more have we to discuss?’’ exclaimed Lady Everton, now all in feverish anxiety to flee away from her present abode and hasten to where she could fold her chil- dren in her arms. ‘‘ When shall we depart? My preparations will soon be made; an hour, half an hour, a few minutes will suffice. Oh, pray tell me, dear Paton, that we are to go at once! But, oh, I forgot!’ she suddenly exclaimed. “You have travelled day and night, you only arrived here CONnNIEDOOKS (S(O)