The Man in Possession — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 139 He said no word, but simply followed her into the deserted room, and meekly took the chair which she pointed out to him. Then Kate took from her dress the card which Sir Wilfred had shown her and placed it on the table before his eyes. ‘Can you answer the question—now ?” she said. His eyes flashed from that little piece of circum- stantial evidence to the pale face and stately figure of the girl who stood there before him. ‘‘I—I will not attempt to misunderstand you,” he said humbly. ‘‘I did play that soothsayer and I wrote that card. Do you wish to know my mo- tives?” ‘‘No,” said Kate fiercely. The red blood flew to her cheeks and the storm signals of feminine wrath displayed themselves in quickened breath and flashing eye. ‘‘ Whatever those motives were,” she said pas- sionately, ‘‘they only resulted in insult and an- noyance to myself. I don’t ask why you did this, I only say that it was a mean trick to play on a girl in my position. More than tiuat, it was cowardly, it was ungentlemanly. ” ‘* Please go on,” said the young man humbly. . ‘‘I assure you not a word you say is undeserved. It is no excuse, of course, that I only saw what every one else saw, and I thought our Amorous Imbecile might as well put his fate to the test to-night as on any other night.” ‘*No, it is no excuse,” said Kate, now in a red-hot rage. ‘‘ What business wasit of yours? How dared you interfere with my concerns? My position in COMicloe (Sri C(O)