The Man in Possession — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

86 THE MAN IN POSSESSION, He’s dreadfully afraid she'll marry him to somebody, and, well—I really think that’s all.” ‘*You have drawn him very charitably, considering you are his friend,” said Kate, coldly. She did not like this young man; she thought him too cool, too cynical, too flippant; and surely it was not quite nice to speak as he spoke of Sir Wilfred. ‘¢‘ Being his friend enables me to do so,” the young man answered in the samecool, nonchalant manner. ‘‘T assure you, Miss O’Brien, he is absorbingly in- teresting, if you get used to him.” ‘¢ That, I suppose,” said Kate, ‘‘is merely a matter of time.” ‘‘ Merely, as yousay, a matter oftime. Heis look- ing overin this direction. Ah, I see your father is bringing him to you. Shall 1 give up my place and you may commence the ‘ study of a young man of the fin de szcle,’ without further delay ?” ‘‘Qh,” said Kate, impatiently, ‘‘ why do you use that word ?—I am so sick of it!” ‘*T beg your pardon, but it is really appropriate.” ‘* Might it not apply to others as well as Sir Wilfred Jocelyn? Are his tastes and manners and habits so very different from those of his associates and friends ?” The young man smiled. ‘‘ I suppose not,” he said. ‘¢ We are all very much alike.” His countenance was quite impassive, his tone ironical and cool. Neither face nor voice betrayed anything, but seemed to have been trained to the exclusion of any expression inconsistent with good manners. COMicloe (Sri C(O)