The Mission of Poubalov — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

CORROBORATIVE DETAIL. 79 CHAPTER X. CORROBORATIVE DETAIL. Clara had not come sufficiently in contact with the evil side of human nature to ignore an anonymous letter. She ‘ elt all the contempt for the writer that he or she de- "served, and she spurned the suggestion contained in the - letter as utterly unworthy of a moment’s attention. “Yet _ the sting was there. She might ignore the letter to all ap- “pearances, and yet not be able to forget it. The cruelty of “the writer was what she felt, not the force of the blow. RB -“T cannot understand,’’ she said, laying the letter down “and taking a newspaper, ‘‘how a person can go out of his way for the sole purpose of doing an unkind thing.”’ eS ‘‘What is it, dear?’’ asked Louise, stopping on her way out of the room. e Clara started to show her the letter, but, overcome by a ‘sense of repugnance for it, answered: “Let it pass until after luncheon. We shall have a great deal to talk of then.’’ So Clara was left alone with the newspapers, and she d them with amazement and consternation. At the very first there was a little relief at finding no flaring headlines on the first page, for she had no enjoyment in the notoriety that the case thrust upon her. She bore it ‘simply as one of the unavoidable features of the situa- ‘tion. As she searched the first paper, the relief vanished, ‘and inits place came a growing wonder. The reports of the abandoned wedding had been set forth in complete detail with every expansion that fertile brains could sug- \ zest, as if every city editor had said to his reporter, : ode atand all you can write.’’ It had been the impor- tant news feature of the day, and to Clara it had seemed Connicloooks EG iim