Gratia's Trials — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

at —_— 154 GRATIA’S TRIALS. made the old lady’s parlor like a miniature museum, one dreary February morning, and the newspapers lay in a heap on the table ready for the morning session of reading. ‘‘That’s right, my dear,” said Mrs. Osard, nodding her head, as she watched Gratia’s delicate silk duster. ‘‘I never had any one tidy my rooms as neatly as you do it. ‘There’s a deal in hav- ing a knack. I always said so.” © The maid whose business it was to attend the door entered just then, and laid a visiting-card on the table. Mrs, Osard scrutinized it through her gold spectacles. ‘‘Ask her to walk in, Rosa,” said she, rather slowly, ‘though I must confess I would rather have had a chance to read the papers before I received-calls. No, Gratia; don't go. You may as well stay ; I shall not be detained long.” Gratia accordingly resumed her avocation, not even turning her head at the entrance of the visitor, until the shrill, high- pitched tone of a well-known voice caused her to start as if a bomb-shell had exploded close to her ear. | _ “My dear friend,” it uttered, ‘‘do you want to be murdered in your bed ?” And Gratia knew in an instant that peace, home, safety, all were gone. Alberta Falconer had tracked her out once more. ‘‘Mercy on me, my dear!” cried Mrs. Osard, jumping up as briskly as her corpulence would allow, and looking under her atrm-chair as if she expected to see a man with a bludgeon con- cealed there; ‘‘ what do you mean ?” ‘“You may leave the room,” said Alberta, turning authori- tatively to Gratia. ‘‘ Your mistress wishes to be alone with me fora while.” | Gratia obeyed without a word of remonstrance. She might tell her own story, but she knew it would not be believed. An hour afterward Rosa came mincingly up stairs, and a single glance at her averted eyes and pursed-up lips convinced Gratia that the whole household was in possession of the tale of her fancied guilt and crime. ° comicbooks.co