Geoffrey's victory; $b or, the double deceptionSheldon, Georgie, Mrs.
General
Geoffrey's victory; $b or, the double deception
Sheldon, Georgie, Mrs.
Boston (Mass.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Dime novels; Romance fiction
Dr. Scherz would not press him further; he knew that they must be
patient. Memory had lain dormant for so long, and the child had been so
young at the time of losing it, that it was doubtful if they could ever
learn very much regarding his history.
Weeks passed, and Geoffrey was at last pronounced well enough to return
to the beautiful home awaiting him in Brooklyn.
He had recovered without a single drawback. The light of reason gleamed
in his eyes, and he had the full use of all the organs of speech.
But, although the doctors had decided that he must be fully fifteen
years of age, notwithstanding his growth had been somewhat stunted by
the effects of his injury, mentally he was little better than an infant.
He talked like a child of five years, and acted like one.
But very little could be learned of his previous life. It was evident
that he had been living with a woman named Margery—who, probably, was
his nurse—and a man named Jack, possibly the woman’s husband.
Margery he had loved, and he often called for her now. Jack he had
feared, and looked frightened whenever his name was mentioned.
Of the injury which had deprived him of his memory he seemed to be able
to tell nothing, although he affirmed that Jack had struck and tried to
choke Margery, and he wanted to “lick the naughty man.”
Of his mother he knew absolutely nothing; his father was not much more
than a name to him, although he spoke of him as his “good papa,” while
he could not tell anything whatever about the place where his former
home had been, and knew nothing of the circumstances of his being in New
York.
He was very quick to comprehend, however, now that he once more had his
reason, and readily adapted himself to his new surroundings.
Mr. Huntress resolved to adopt him legally, and do all in his power to
atone for the long interval of darkness and mental incapacity to which
he had been so strangely doomed.
Geoffrey began at once to regard his new friends with the greatest
confidence and affection, while toward Gladys he manifested the most
devoted love.
She, on her part, regarded him with tenderest compassion and sympathy,
for, in spite of his remarkable beauty and natural ability, he was truly
a pitiable object, with the simple mind and manners of a child five
years of age in a body of fifteen; for he soon began to develop rapidly,
physically, after his restoration, and bade fair to be a man of splendid
physique.
He was not long in realizing that he was far from being like other boys
of his age, and he began to be very sensitive over the fact—to grow
grave and thoughtful, and sometimes positively unhappy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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