The Craze of Christina — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

142 The Craze of Christina. extraordinary retrograde movement towards the back shop. She had seen with amazement that he had continued by Miss Pratt’s side, whispering to her for some moments, and that she had responded to his whispers in the same manner. With horror shezhad watched him at- tempt to take the parcel out of her hands in order to tie it up for her. She’saw indeed that he did actually succeed in winding the string about it, and Miss Ashley thought, she could — not be absolutely certain, but she certainly fancied that he caught hold of Miss Pratt’s fin- gers surreptitiously during the subsequent proc- ess of knotting that string, and she was quite sure that there was a little scuffle between the / two over it. If she had not seen everything, she had at least seen enough, and her eyes grew round with astonishment and horror. ‘This comes,’’ she thought, ‘‘of taking a girl from an advertisement, and without a reference! Mrs. Ommaney would say it served me right, I daresay! There is certainly some understand- ing between them, and no doubt this brazen creature has followed Mr. Clifford down from London, and only came to my house in order to be near him! Oh, it’s shameful! disgracful! and I have indeed been duped! for it is clear comic (0\(0) KS (E(0)