Gratia's Trials — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

GRATIA'S TRIALS. 7185 ‘Mass Bob wasn’t at de dinner table—didn’t see his uncle de whole evenin’.” ‘* How do you know?” ‘‘He didn’t come in -till ten o’clock or arter—I let him in myself, an’ dat’s de way I knows, Mr. Miller was in de library wid Miss Gratia, de young lady he was to marry—and Mass Bob went up to bed afore Miss Gratia lef’ de libr’y.” ‘‘But he might have come down again,” ‘No, sah, he didn't.” ‘How do you know? Did you sit up all night to watch ?” “*No, sah, but I knows, dis yer ways: Mars Bob he went up while I was settin’ in de hall readin’ de paper, an’ it was mos’ an hour arterward dat Miss Gratia cum out ob de libr’y, an’ ran up stairs as fas as eber she could jump. So I set dar awhile longer, waitin’ to hear if ole massa wrung his bell, or wanted anything.” : ‘‘Was he in the habit of ringing for you at that hour of the night ?” ‘Not often, sah. Once in a while. Sometimes he set in de library an’ write half de night, or read, an’ he neber likes de servants to set up for him. Arter I heard de clock strike mid- night I went to bed. I put out de hall gas, but de libr’y door stood a little way open, an’ I could see de light shining on de carpet.” ‘‘Could you see into the room ?” ‘No, sah.” ‘Nor hear anything ?” ‘Not a sound, sah—but Mr. Miller was always quiet like.” ‘¢ And that was the last you saw of the library door?” ‘‘ Ves, sah, dat was de las’.” ‘Then how can you be sure that Mr. Robert Falconer did not come down to his uncle afterward ?” ‘‘ Dat was what I was coming to!” said Scipio, with an in- jured air. ‘‘ Marianne, sah, she’s de second house-maid. She’s a good worker, but she’s mighty forgetful ; an’ missis she GEomicbooks G @) m