The Man in Possession — page 279: what you’re looking at

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

274 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. ‘‘T ax your parding, Miss Kate, for interrupting of ye, but there’s a man below wantin’ to see the mas- ther or yerself. As the masther hasn't complated his toilight I came to yez.” Kate took the card. There was only a name on it, ‘‘Sir Wilfred Jocelyn,” and pencilled underneath her father’s name. ‘‘What does it mean?” she exclaimed. ‘‘Who brought the card?” ‘‘A porter-man, one o thim chaps as wear the caps with bands round thim,” said Biddy. Kate turned somewhat pale. ‘‘ Perhaps I had better go and see him,” she said, rising from her chair. ‘‘Is he in the hall, Biddy?” ‘‘ Shure an’ he is, Miss. It’s not in the dining- room I'd be axin’ the likes o’ him.” ‘Run down and see what he wants,” said Mrs. Lafaye. ‘‘I’ll wait here and talk to Biddy.” It was some minutes before Kate returned. She was very pale, and trembled greatly. ‘‘Something terrible has happened,” she said. ‘‘The man was a porter from Waterloo. There has been an accident on the line. . . . Some of the passengers were brought on... . One of them was very badly injured and taken to an hospital. They had noclueas to who he was, but this card was found on him. . . . I’m afraid it is Sir Wilfred. I must ask my father to go round at once and see.” She left the room. Mrs. Lafaye rose and looked at Biddy, and that faithful and intelligent person looked at her. COMicloe (Sri C(O)