The Man in Possession — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION, 15 three essentials to feminine happiness. But she seemed none the worse. Her life was too busily en- gaged with that noble art of ‘‘ managing” to leave room for idle hours, or young ladyish fancies. She was not given to gossip or confidences, therefore had not formed any strong friendships. For a girl scorns another girl who has absolutely nothing to confide to her—no romantic hopes, no stolen meetings with some special ‘‘somebody” who may be Lovelace or Lothario, but is invested with the halo of senti- ment in the feminine mind, because he whispered soft nothings, or danced six out of twelve round dances with her at her ‘‘first ball.” But Kate had had no such experiences, and had met no Romeos or Lotharios yet. She ought to have been very thankful for that, had she only known how few of them are > worth meeting, or caring about. The unknown, however, is always invested with a spurious charm. Perhaps she had dreams of her own respecting one who should be hero, lover, friend—all that impossible combination, which, in their ignorance of mankind, girls will attribute to these demi-gods of idealisation. But at the present moment, she was not dreaming of anything romantic. Only feeling cold and weary and dispirited as the cab jogged and jolted along the deserted thoroughfare of Piccadilly, finally landing them ata dingy house in a dingy street, which was only fashionable because of a third or fourth cousin- ship to the neighbourhood of Eaton Square. The house was small and dark, and had been built by an architect with a singular knowledge of discom- COMicloe (Sri C(O)