The Dugdale Millions — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

70 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. nobleman’s visit, he felt his dislike growing stronger for the arrogant foreigner, as he called him. After dinner, they went to the Hetlow mansion. Mr. Hetlow welcomed him cordially, but he imme- diately perceived that Bessie’s manner, though per- haps intended to be gracious, was marked by great constraint. How he had expected to be received by her he could not have explained to himself, but he was distinctly conscious that he resented her manner. With a perversity for which he cursed himself later in the evening, he assumed an air of coldness and indif- ference, which immediately was met by Bessie with an equal amount of haughtiness. Their quarrel was continued, though only words of the utmost common- place were exchanged between them. Wallis loyally endeavored to smooth the difficulties and exercised no little ingenuity in an effort to bring the two together, But they were as unmovable as rocks, and finally she lost her temper. As opportunities presented themselves she mformeG each, at different times, that they were a pair of idiots for whom it was little use to attempt to do anything. With a feeling that he was gratifying a resentment, Dick told Mr. Hetlow, with positive enthusiasm, the progress made, and was unnecessarily confident as to the ultimate success of his search, while Bessie, feeling also that she was gratifying a similar feeling, combated his theories and plans and doubted his conclusions. As a consequence, Wallis saw all her friendly and amiable schemes fall to the ground, while the two parted with the breach wider than before, and each convinced that the other had lost the interest which each had hoped had been felt for the other. Dick was quite sure the prospects of so much wealth, and the possibility of attaining to high social rank by reason of its possession, was the cause of Bessie’s treatment of himself, while Bessie was certain some fairer girl had stolen into Dick’s affections, Comicboocl< C@ 5}