The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-07-27
Produced by a Combination Of Nswspa-
pess, and Published SeriaIIy
in Parts, on Sundays. ...
GEORGINA'S REASONS
By HENRY JAMES.
Sc G o u d Part.
CHAPTER III.

appeared TO sum up her Judgment OF the mat.
tor. Mrs. Portico should. In the course OF very
few days. have consented to everything that
Georsina asked OF her. have thought It we'll
to narrate at longth the first conversation that
took place between them. but shall not trace
further the details Of the girls urgency. or tho
steps by which-in tho face OF hundred roo
bust and salutary convictions-the loud. kind.
sharp. simple. skeptical. credulous woman took
under her protection damsel whose obstInacy
she could not speak Of without getting red with
anger. 1t was the simple fact OF Georginn's
personal condition that moved her; this young
lady's greatest eloQuence was tho seriousness
OF her predicament. She might be bad. and
she had Q splendid. careless insolent. fair.
faced way Of admitting It, which at moments.
incoherently inconsistency. and irresistibly.
resolved the harsh confession into tears Of
weakness: but Mrs. Portico had known her
from her roslest years. and whom Georglna dc.
clared that she couldn't 60 home. that she
wished to DO with her and not with
her mother. that she couldn't expose her
self-she couldn't-and that she must remain
with her and her only till the day they should
sail. the poor lady was forced to make that day
reality. She was overmastered. she was o..
joled. she was. to o certain extent fascinated.
She had to accept Georgina's rlsidity tshe
had none OF her own to oppose to It: she was
only violent. she was not continuously: and once
she did this. 1t was plain. after all. that to
take her young friend to Europe was to help
her. and to leave her alone was not to help her.
Georglna literally frightened Mrs. Portico Into
compliance. She was evidently capable OF
strange things II thrown upon her own devices.
30. from one day to another Mrs. Portico an
nounoed that she was really at last about to sail
for foreign lands ther doctor having told her
that II she didn't look out she would get too
old to enjoy theml. and that she had invited
that healthy Miss Gressie. who could stand 30
| long on her feet. to accompany her. There was
| Joy in the house Of Gressie at this announce.
ment. for though the danger was over. It was
| great general advantage to GeorRina to CO. and
| the Gressies were always elated at the prospect
| OF an advantage. There was danger that sho
might meet Mr.. Dcnyon on the other side OF
the world: but 1t didn't seem likely that Mrs.
Portico would lend herself to plot Of that kind.
II she had taken 1t into her head to favor their
love affair. she would have done 1t frank.
ly. and Georgina would have been married By
| this time. Her ARRANGEMENTS were made ss
| quickly as her decision had been-or rather
had appeared-slow; for this concerned those
| agile young mon down town. Georgina was
porpetually at her house; II was understood In
! Twelfth street that she was talking over her
future travels with her kind friend. Talk there
was. Of course to q considerable degree; but
| 6ItoT IL WIS beLtiCu tuoy SNOulu SthTL uOLuluB
| more was said about the motive OF the journey.
Nothing was said. that u.s. till the night before
they sailed: then q few words passed between
them. Georgina had already taken leave Of
| her relations In Twelfth street. and was to
| sleep at Mrs. Portico's In order to go down to
| the ship at an early hour. The two ladies' were
sitting together In tho freight silent with the
consciousness Of corded luggage. when the
| elder one suddenly remarked to her oompan.
| Ion that she seemed to be taking great deal
upon herself In assuming that Raymond Ben.
yon wouldn't force her hand. He might choose
| to acknowledge his child. II she didn't; there
were promises and promises. and many peo-
ple would consider they had been lot OF when
circumstances were 80 altered. She would
have to reckon with Mr.. Benyon moro than
she thought.
Il know what am about" Georeina an.
swered. "Thore Is only ono promise for him.
don't know what you mean BY circumstances
being altered"
Everything seems to mo to be altered"
poor Mrs. Portico murmured rather tragically.
Well. ho isn't. and he never will! am sure
| ofhim-ns sure rs that sit here. Do you think
would have looked at him II hadn't known
he was man Of his word2"
You have chosen him we'll. my dear" said
Mrs. PortIco. who by this time was reduced to
. kind OF bewlldered acQuiesconce.
or course have chosen him WELT In such
| q matter rs this he will he perfectly splendid"
Then suddenly. Perfectly splendid-thats why
/ cared for himl" she repeated with flash OF
incongruous passion.
This seemed to Mrs. Portico audacious to the
point OF being sublime: but she had given up
| trying to understand anything that the girl
might say or d. She understood less and less.
after they had disembarked In England and
begun to travel southwark: and she UNDER
| stood least OF all when. In the middle OF tho
| winter. the event came of With which. In i'm.
| agination. she had tried to famiiarize herself,
but which, when 1t occurred. seemed to
her beyond measure strange and dreadful.
It took place at Genoa for Georgina
had made up her mind that there
| would DO more privacy In q big town
than In little: and she wrote TO America that
both Mrs. Portico and she had fallen In love
with the place. and would spend two or three
| months there. At that time people In the
United States knew much less than to-day
about the comparative attractions OF foreign
cities. and 1t was not thought surprising that
absent New Workers should wish to linger In
seaport whore they might find apartments. ac.
cording to Georeinas report, In . palace
painted in fresco By yandyke and Titan.
Georgtna. In her letters. omitted. 1t will be
seen. no detail that could give color TO Mrs
Portico's long stay at Genoa. In such palace
| where the travellers hired twenty gilded
rooms for the most Insignificant sum-a re-
markably fine boy came into the world Moth
| Ing could have been more successful and com.
Portable than this transaction. Mrs. Portico
was almost appalled, at the facility and felicity
| Of it. She was by this time In q pretty bad
way. and-what had never happened to her DO.
fore In her life-she suffered from chronic de-
preston OF spirits. She hated to have to lie.
and now she was lying all tho time. Every
thing she wrote homo. everything that had
been said or done In connection with their
stay In Genoa. was . lie The way they
remained indoors to avoid meeting chance
| compatriots was lie. Compatriots In
Genoa. at that period. we're very rare but MOTH
Ing could exceed the business like completes