It was even with something of dread and
shrinking that she looked forward to a renewal of the old life.
Still, it was enough that her aunt had need of her. On her return to
London, she was met with strange revelations. Miss Bygrave's story
had been agreed upon between herself and Paul. It had been deemed
best to make Mrs. Enderby's insanity the explanation of Maud's
removal from her parents, and the girl, stricken as she was with
painful emotions, seemed to accept this undoubtingly.
The five years or so since Paul Enderby's reappearance in England
seemed to have been not unprosperous. The house to which Maud was
welcomed by her father and mother was not a large one, and not in a
very fashionable locality, but it was furnished with elegance. Mrs.
Enderby frequently had her hired brougham, and made use of it to
move about a good deal where people see and are seen. Mr. Enderby's
business was "in the City." How he had surmounted his difficulties
was not very clear; his wife learned that he had brought with him
from America a scheme for the utilisation of waste product in some
obscure branch of manufacture, which had been so far successful as
to supply him with a small capital.
Pages:
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285