A Fair Fraud — page 222: what you’re looking at

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

A Fair Fraud 211 had sald much more to her than has been related on the subject, yet all she had said had been unavailing—her mother had left her room quite determined not to give the slightest information at the inquest concerning her con- nection with the dead man, whose tragic end caused her nothing but joy and satisfaction. ‘IT shall say nothing,’ were her last words. ‘And as for you, Hetty, you cam say nothing. You have not seen your father since you were eight years old, and it is quite impossible that you can remember him sufficiently to identify him as he is now. TFlis prison experiences altered him so complete'y that I really should not have recognised him myself had he not spoken to me.’ And Hester did not tell her mother that she had seen and spoken to her: unfortunate father only yesterday. That was her last card, and she determined not to play it yet—she was keeping it in reserve. The dinner bell rang at the usual time, and the two ladies went downstairs. But the meal was an extremely dismal affair. The shadow of a tragedy was in the air. The Grigsons had gone home, the brougham having been specially ordered to convey them back to Churston, and the small party that remained were grave and preoccupied. Kenneth was mysteriously called out of the room several GORMGIOO