The Craze of Christina — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

The Craze of Christina. 67 than asparrow, Ella! Luckily nothing depends upon you; your only part in the whole matter is to take care of father.’’ “It seems to me to be a most wild and pre- posterous undertaking, my loved!’’ murmure the man in the armchair, shaking his head du- biously. ‘‘How are you going to begin?’’ “I have begun, father! My advertisement is in yesterday’s Gazette, the local Gazette; here it is doesn’t it read well? ‘Wanted in, or near, Oldcastle, Middleshire, by a young lady of pre- possessing appearance’ ”’ flung back her dark head. ‘‘Am I not prepos- sessing?’ she queried gayly; “‘can you deny it, you faint-hearted people?”’ *‘My darling Chris, you are beautiful, the most beautiful girl in the world to me!”’ ‘*Well, then, I haven’t overstated the case, have [?—‘by a young lady of prepossessing ap- pearance, a situation of trust, as companion, secretary, or amanuensis to a lady; has a good handwriting, is clever at accounts, and has some knowledge of bookkeeping. Salary not so much an object as a refined and comfortable home. References unfortunately impossible, as she is a stranger lately arrived from the Colonies.’ ”’ “Yes, that is just where you will fail,’’ said comicoooks —here she laughed and | (CO)