Taken at the Flood A Novel Author:Mary Elizabeth Braddon General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1891 Original Publisher: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent Subjects: Fiction / Romance / General Fiction / Romance / Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary Fiction / Romance / Historical Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustratio... more »ns and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: 69 CHAPTER VIIL OOTT LENKT. Herb comes my mother," said Edmund, as the rustle of Mrs. Standen's dress sounded cm the staircase. The bell clanged out its summons at the same moment. " Why, how pale you look, child!" said Mrs. Standen, as she kissed her adopted daughter. " Do I, dear Auntie ? I've been in the garden a good while, and the morning is rather sultry. It has given me a slight headache." " Poor little head, so busy and thoughtful for others," said Mrs. Standen, smoothing the girl's soft dark hair from the calm brow. Mother and son kissed each other in the old hearty fashion. The cloud was quite gone. It had melted in those passionate tears wrung from the mother's wounded heart. Five women servants came filing in. There was no indoor man at Dean House. Mrs. Standen loved the neat-handed Phillises of her own training, but would not have consented to be domineered over by a skilled butler. The cook, and Mrs. Standen's confidential maid, both elderly women, and three buxom girls, parlour, house, and laundry maid, comprised the Dean House establishment. Prayers were read, and the morning chapter, and breakfast began. Mrs. Standen had hardly taken her place in front of the urn when a shrill peal from the gate bell startled them all. This was essentially the visitors' bell. All tradesmen, and beings of an inferior order, save the postman or an occasional stranger, entered by the stable gates. "Who can it be s...« less