The Craze of Christina — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

82 The Craze of Christina. ~ an-hater’’ had been indeed the mildest of the titles applied to him by the irate and batfiled female community. Great was the rejoicing, therefore, when one morning’s post brcught to a score or more of the neighboring families cards of invitation to an afternoon gathering at Esselton Hall. Clif- ford went up in the popular estimation at once; for of course now it was evident that the wealthy young stranger had had no intention of avoiding and insulting his neighbors; he was evidently prepared to be civil, and something might yet be made of him after all! And with alacrity they one and all accepted the invita- tion. Frocks, hats, jackets, immediately became the prominent questions in the minds of the ladies of Middleshire. Every woman of them determined to do her very best to cut out all the rest, and at the same time to create a good im- pression upon her new neighbor. A fine morning ushered in the appointed day. Mr. Clifford, who had certain inherent instincts on the subject of entertaining, was up betimes, superintending the preparations. George Jones had as yet laid no devastating hand upon the en- trance hall, the study, or the morning-room, and these three rooms, all of them large and lofty, Gcomich (0\(0) KS (€(0)