The Craze of Christina — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

The Craze of Christina. 73 speculations which had failed, and had only re- duced him to still lower straits. Acre after acre of his land was sold at a loss, and after his wife’s death he was obliged to part with his country home altogether, and to begin life over again in avery humble fashion in Melbourne. He obtained a clerkship at a bank with a small salary, and his two girls were obliged to work for their living also. Chris became a daily governess, and Ella, more frail and less able to battle with the world, added a precarious mite to the family store by mending and repair- ing old laces and embroideries. But still he had managed to keep up his cour- age, because at the bottom of his heart he had always believed that his father’s unknown cousin in England, the head of the old family, intended to leave him a considerable sum of money at his death. Old Mr. Greville corre- sponded regularly with his Australian cousin, and although he had promised nothing defi- nitely, still he had frequently implied and given him to understand that he would not leave him unprovided for in his will, and possibly, had Charles had a son, the old man would have made him his heir. His solicitors in London, Messrs. Chase & Son, had been directed to telegraph the news of ConniclooolkSs.eo