The Man in Possession — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 87 ‘‘Of course,” he added abruptly, ‘‘ you must have had many opportunities of judging us in society.” Kate shook her head. ‘‘On the contrary,” she said, ** Thave had veryfew. I—I am not fond of society.” ‘* What a loss for that institution,” he said. The speech was conventional and displeased her. She rose abruptly and took up her travelling cloak. ‘‘T must ask Lady Jocelyn to let me go to my room,” she said. ‘*‘I—I am rather tired.” ‘*Poor Sir Wilfred, he has been stopped en rouse,” said her companion sympathizingly. ‘‘It is the banjo young lady, Miss O’Brien. Weare all consumed with - wonder as to whether she will carry off the prize; you see she 1s so naively innocent, and so obliging in her directions, because he has a—a slight affec- tion of the eyelids, and if he only follows the advice of that lady ——” ‘“You are too bad,” interrupted Kate, halflaughing, for really the young baronet presented quite a lamen- table picture of helplessness and distress. ‘‘I don’t . believe you know the meaning of friendship. It cer- tainly should not shower ridicule and contempt on the person who claims to be a friend.” - “Shouldn't it?” said the young fellow, coolly. ‘‘Believe me, it does exactly the same now for its worth and meaning as it did when Sheridan wrote his ‘School for Scandal.’ Human nature never differs: we set it amidst different scenes and surroundings, but the real thing is always there, always the same at bottom. Life is only a series of variations on a very old and very worn-out theme.” COMicloe (Sri C(O)