The Man in Possession — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

138 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. the little fool was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing.” ‘‘’mnotsorry you—forgot,” said Kate softly. She was a woman, and had Irish blood in her veins, and rather appreciated the ‘‘sledge-hammer” argument which had answered Sir Wilfred’s insolence. ‘‘ But I shall never be forgiven now,” she added. ‘‘ What will they all say of me?” - T hardly think that will matter to you,” said her champion. ‘‘Or to me either. I leave to-morrow, you know.” ‘‘Do you?” said Kate, with a little odd sinking at her heart. ‘‘I’m-sure we shall all miss you very much.” ‘© You will all be very candidly spiteful about me when my back is turned,” he said, laughing. ‘‘ That is the usual thing. Lady Jocelyn even won’t stand my friend after my knocking over her adored sim- pleton. By the way, what had put him into sucha murderous frame of mind, Miss O’Brien ?” ‘‘T think,” Kate said very quietly, ‘‘you are better able to answer that question than I am.” ‘* You flatter me. . . . Iam quite ignorant of any reason.” } ‘‘Come in here and sit down,” said the girl sud- denly as they passed the open library door. ‘‘I—I want to speak to you for a moment.” Something strangely like nervousness or fear changed the usual imperturbable face of the obdurate youth. Had his sins found him out? Were they to be roughly and mercilessly visited upon him by this fair avenger? COMicloe (Sri C(O)