The Man in Possession — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

254 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. the world like him. How odd that we should meet like this . .. and to think that young man on whom I turned my back was Tom Rivers!.. . Seems to me I ought to have hada magnetic intima- tion of the fact. And my letter upstairs written to him ! Talk of miracles indeed! I do wonder what sort of young man he is... .. If the Colonel has taken a fancy to him, it speaks well. He is not keen on making friends, or rather he used not to be. Well, I’m glad I left Croft. I could not, even in my wildest dreams, have imagined this evening would have been one of such dramatic purport. I hope I’m equal to the occasion. ” She looked equal to any occasion as she sat there, her delicate face bright with colour, her eyes dark and glowing with the mingled excitement and inte- rest that the coming interview promised. Colonel Lawrence solemnly and briefly accom- plished the introduction. His countenance was un- moved, but his eyes were gravely observant. The charm of Mrs. Lafaye’s manner, her brilliant smile, her cordial welcome, evidently impressed the young man as they were meant to do. ‘It's so odd,” she said, ‘‘that I should find you here to-night, for I’ve just come up from the country house where you were staying last week.” ‘“From Croft?” he said eagerly. ‘*‘ You know the. Jocelyns then ?” ‘‘A foregone conclusion, isn’t it,” she said, laugh- ing, ‘‘ or how could I stay at their house ?” ‘True, that was very foolish. I—I suppose there were a great many people there? COMNMUC NOO (Sri C(O)