A Fair Fraud — page 175: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

164 A Fair: Fraud forgive her for volunteering to look after him? She was old enough to be his mother! Captain Drury was very weak and helpless with a sharp attack of pneumonia. Mrs Lane nursed him devotedly, and he had to begin with falling a little in love with his nurse, as many a good man has done before him. He only saw Hester for the first time just as he was leaving the hotel, when he was pronounced ‘sufficiently well to travel. He had scarcely looked at her—all his eyes and thanks had been for her mother. - Six months later he had met them both again at a ball at Edin- burgh; he had asked Mrs Lane to dance, but she had smilingly passed him on to her daughter. Hester's perfect dancing pleased him, and with critical eye he noted that to beauty, greater even than her mother’s, were added the charms of youth and freshness. He had called upon them at the hotel where they were staying on the following morning, where his first impressions of He.ter were confirmed and strengthened. He had then obtained leave to renew the acquaintance in London, and soon after Easter had presented himself at Mrs Lane’s furnished lodgings in _ town. She told him that the lodgings were tem- porary ; that she was looking out for an unfur- nished house as a permanent residence, and she discussed with him the respective advan- JOO <S COMNMUC (GO)