A Final Triumph; or, A Lady Bachelor — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

PENALTIES. 98 proved a success, and in Jess than five years he was a mill- ionaire, and the woman whose hands had been roughened at the wash-tub sought recognition in social circles; and despite the fact that her language was but a parody on good English—a genuine Volupuk—her lack in this re- spect was overlooked, and her natural vulgar force and push carried her into prominence. There vere those cer- tainly who appreciated her at her true worth and quietly ignored her, but these were persons whose own social posi- tions were absolutely unassailable. They could afford to do so; but even they only tolerated this creature, while those whose social position was less assured courted her; and, as has been intimated, she became in time, to a limited extent, a social authority. As she was cunning enough to haunt those places where the less socially assured flocked, she became almost absolute. There were a few genuine people in the hotel—peo- ple who indulged no social aspirations — descendants from a cultivated ancestry, and who were possessed of large intelligence but moderate means. The majority of the guests, however, belonged to the class who were just on the outer edge of the social circle — people who were nudging all the time to get further within its enticing area—and these were the ones who buried all their best feelings under their ambition, sacrificed the real to the artificial, and paid all the penalties demanded. Snubs, rebuffs, and slights were met with equanimity. And the latter class, unfortumately, are the most numerous. Where the artificial rules, all genuine sentiment is forced to yield. In fact, in order to succeed socially, one must EOPMICLOOOKS (E@)