Family Pride; Or, Purified by SufferingHolmes, Mary Jane
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Family Pride; Or, Purified by Suffering
Holmes, Mary Jane
American fiction; Dime novels
Never for an instant had it entered her mind that she, as the mother,
would not be permitted to call her baby what she chose; so when she
heard Mrs. Cameron speaking to Helen of Margaret Augusta, she smiled
complacently, tossing her curls of golden brown, and thinking to
herself, "Maggie Cameron--pretty enough, but not like Genevra. Indeed
I shall not have any Margarets now; next time perhaps I may."
Since the party at Mrs. Grandon's, Mrs. Cameron had been very kind and
gracious to Helen, while Juno, who understood that Helen believed her
engaged to Mark, treated her with far more attention than before, and
now both kept near to her, chatting familiarly, Mrs. Cameron about the
opera, and Juno the matinee, to which they were to take her, without
waiting for Katy. Helen's success at the party, together with Mrs.
Banker's and Sybil's evident determination to bring her forward, had
taught them that she could not well be longer ignored, and as Juno did
not greatly dread her as a rival now, she could afford to be gracious;
and she was, making herself so agreeable that Helen observed the change,
imputing it to the fact that Mark had probably returned to his
allegiance, and blaming herself for having unwittingly wounded Juno by
receiving his attentions. The belief that she was adding to another's
happiness made it easier to bear the pang, which would make itself felt
whenever she recalled the kindly manner, the handsome face, and more
than all the expressive eyes, which had looked whole volumes into hers;
and Helen quite enjoyed her first dinner party at the Camerons, though
she began to wish, with Katy, that the gentlemen would join them.
They came at last, and Father Cameron drew his chair close to Katy's
side, laying his hand on her little soft, warm one, giving it a squeeze
as the bright face glanced lovingly into his. Father Cameron was a
milder, gentler man than he was before Katy came, going much oftener
into society, and not so frequently shocking his wife with expressions
and opinions which she held as heterodox. Katy had a softening influence
over him, and he loved her as well perhaps as he had ever loved his own
children.
"Better," Juno said, and now she touched Bell's arm, to have her see
"how father was petting Katy."
But Bell did not care, while Wilford was pleased, and drew himself
nearer the chair, standing just behind it, so that Katy could not see
him as he smoothed her curly head, and said, half indifferently, "Now
for the all-important name. What shall we call our daughter?"
"Let your mother speak first," Katy said, and thus appealed to Mrs.
Cameron came up to Wilford and expressed her preference for Margaret, as
being a good name--an aristocratic name, and her own.
"Yes, but not half so pretty and striking as Rose Marie," Juno chimed
in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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