A Fair Fraud — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

A Fair Fraud 25 storm like this! It’s all this naughty boy of yours, you know, who insisted on bringing us down.’ It was Mrs Lane who spoke, and there was a little Irish lilt in her silvery voice that was not otherwise than attractive: but Marion did not quite know how her uncle and aunt would like to hear their son de- scribed as a ‘naughty boy’! . Apparently they did not like it at all, for Mrs Drury’s reply was more than usually ceremoni- ous and formal. ‘We are always very pleased to welcome our son’s friends in our house—and Mr Drury and I hope that you and Miss Lane will enjoy your stay at Crookthorpe.’ | Mrs Lane did not seem to notice the freezing tone and manner at all, but answered quite airily and frankly, — ‘Thanks awfully. I am sure we shall. Sha’n’'t we, Hetty? We always manage to enjoy ourselves! Oh, ¢ea? of all things on earth just now most lovely! I am _ simply dying for a cup of tea!’ ‘ Let's have it in your morning-room, mother,’ broke in Kenneth Drury’s cheery voice. ‘I bet anything there’s a better fire there than in your great melancholy drawing-room.’ ‘Certainly, my dear; that is, if Mrs and Miss Lane don’t object—the room is quite small,’ she added apologetically to her guest, GOMMGIOO