The Mission of Poubalov — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

AN IMPERFECT VISION. 25 Now, utterly at a loss to account for his friends’ ab- sence, he was compelled to face any suggestion that arose and make the best of it. ‘“There is at least some comfort in this, Mrs. White,’’ he said, unsteadily; “‘you know that your daughter is alive, and she says she may write to you. She would not have written this had she meant to hide herself completely from you.’”’ The mother’s anguish was not to be tempered with this argument. The poignant fact remained that her daughter had gone away, deserted her home, and neglected delib- erately to take her mother into her confidence. ‘How could she?’’ moaned Mrs. White; ‘‘why, oh, why has she done this?’’ Paul had hard questions to ask, hard for him as well as for her. ‘Mrs. White,’’ he said, ‘‘you have shown me Lizzie’s letter; will you let me help you if I can?’’ ‘‘VYes, yes!’? she answered eagerly, raising her tearful eyes. The very proffer of sympathy and assistance helped to restore her to some degree of composure,’’ and she opened the door to the sitting-room. “I forgot where we were,’’ she said apologetically; ‘‘please come in and sit down.’’ Paul complied, and, still with the letter in his hand, be- gan: ‘‘I shall have to ask questions that would be imper- tinent if you had not said that I might try to help you. Do you—was Lizzie engaged?’’ ‘Oh, no!’’ replied Mrs. White, with a little gasp; ‘‘what made you think so?’’ “IT don’t think so, and whatI really tried to ask was whether she were in love with anybody?”’ Mrs. White looked doubtfully at him. Her eyes were dry. now, and she toyed nervously with her apron. ‘*My daughter didn’t tell me she was going away,’’ she answered slowly after a minute; ‘‘if she wouldn’t tell me that, how should you expect that she would speak to me _ of her love—if she did love anybody?’’ Connielaoolks (C(O)