Out of the Past — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

Out of the Past. 163 it with some surprise. Was this the vaunted self-posses- sion of an American hostess? “Age is not always truthful. I certainly am not very young in feeling, not so young as my birth-date would make me.” “T thought you were only twenty-three or four.” “That is true, madame. My hair? It turned white one morning on the seashore, under a burning sun. Such things happen sometimes.” Miss Winthrop dropped into a chair, working her deli- cate hands as she looked into Robert’s face with some mute appeal which he could not understand. She continually glanced from the clock to the door until Robert also fixed his eyes upon the vacant spot with an expectancy reflecting her own. Conversation seemed so difficult that they waited in silence. Many minutes passed. A step sounded in the hall, and Miss Winthrop rose to it slowly, breathlessly, it seemed to Robert. Until the doors opened he remained seated, then he also rose and stood waiting. The gentleman entering exclaimed, as he turned back to close the doors: “Has not Mr. Dinsmore come yet? I cannot overcome my——” Turning, he encountered Robert’s face. “Rob- ert Dinsmore,” he said to himself, slowly and quietly. CONNICLOOOLK<S.: