The Man in Possession — page 281: what you’re looking at

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

276 THE MAN IN POSSESSION, of reuniting those two obstinately unhappy lovers, had received an unexpected check. Sir Wilfred, all unconsciously, had done just the very best thing for himself, but in doing it he had written ‘‘ Failure’ across the whole of her plans. Kate meanwhile had gone to her father’s dressing- room. She found him reclining on a couch, attired in a flowered silk dressing-gown, and lazily smoking a cigarette while glancing over the morning papers. He looked up at Kate's hasty entrance. ‘‘Anything the matter?” he asked, as he saw how pale the girl was, ‘“‘T am afraid so, papa; a railway porter came around just now to say there had been an accident on the line near Waterloo. Sir Wilfred was in the train. They found our address on his card and came here to say he had been taken to the St. Thomas’s Hospital. . . . The man said he was seriously injured. You must go off at once and see him.” ° ‘What a nuisance! ” exclaimed O’Brien languidly. ‘“Really, something ought to be done to these rail- way companies ... endangering people’s lives as they do. But perhaps he’s not seriously hurt, Kate. The man, of course, wouldn’t know the extent of his injuries. ” ‘‘He said ‘badly hurt,’” said Kate. ‘‘Do make haste, papa, and get dressed. Could I go with you?” ‘‘My dear child,” he answered pettishly, “ you know I hate being hurried. I haven’t even shaved yet, and I sha’n’t be dressed for fully three-quarters COLL LOOO <Sr ‘