Gratia's Trials — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

GRATIA’S TRIALS, 171 own conscience may hereafter reproach you for the course you have taken. At all events, I cannot refrain from expressing my Opinion that you have acted in an unchristian and unwo- manly manner toward this young girl, to whom you should have been a second mother. Good-morning.” And he walked out of the room and out of the house, re- solved to proceed at once to London in search of the beautiful girl who had contrived to work her way so near to his heart. He walked straight to the railway station, there scribbling a brief note to his friends at Melworth Hall, containing the simple piece of information that an unexpected emergency called him suddenly to London for a few days. This note written and dispatched, he inquired of the ticket agent as to whether such a young person as he described Miss Kempfield had taken a ticket by the London express that morning at eight. ‘*T don’t know any sich in particular, sir. There’s a-many comes and goes,’ he said, rubbing his nose. ‘‘ Just as like as not I may ’ve sold her the very ticket, and not a-noticed it.” Colonel Falconer shrugged his shoulders impatiently. ‘When does the next express go?” ‘*Not before four, sir. There is an accommodation first,” Colonel Falconer looked first at his watch, and then out at the storm-beaten world outside the railway station. ‘* My poor, poor little Gratia ! how cruelly she must have been stung by that woman's taunts before she would flee away like this! How women can be so unfeeling toward one an- other passes my comprehension. And she is winning and beautiful, too.” Alas! therein lay Gratia Kempfield’s first and chiefest offense, had Colonel Falconer but known it. Three hours afterward Colonel Falconer was in London. His first move on the complicated chess-board of affairs was to go straight to the office of his lawyer. Mr. Tessell was a smoke-dried little bachelor, devoted to his profession, and his profession alone, whose house adjoined the Gomicbooks (E(o iim