A Fair Fraud — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

82 A Fair Fraud least, don’t you sing? Surely you must do something of the kind?’ he added, with a certain eagerness of persistence. Marion laughed. ‘I might be an eloquent performer on every one of those interesting instruments, and might sing like a Patti into the bargain, and I don’t believe you would be impressed by my talents, Mr Naylor.’ ‘Do you mean to say you do nothing in that line then ?’ ‘Well, a strict adherence to truth forces me to admit that I do play the piano a little.’ His face brightened at once. ‘Then, come along and play a tune immediately, please,’ he said eagerly. Amused, and secretly a little puzzled, Marion rose from the sofa to comply, and as they were walking across the room side by side his mean- ing was explained to her in a low voice. ‘I must speak to you—play something soft, so that I can talk to you without anybody else hearing what I say.’ With rather a heightened colour and a good deal of surprise Marion opened the piano and sat down before the instrument. Mr Naylor immediately drew a chair close to her and sat down. ‘Don’t you want a music book?’ ‘No, I always play by heart,’ and she ran ‘her fingers lightly over the keys. ‘Are you GOMMGIOO Sp! C(O) i