A Parisian Romance — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

A PARISIAN ROMANCE. 169 “In omnibuses!” exclaimed Mrs. Martin, with an affected shudder. “Oh! I should not like that; I should not like that at all!” Oh! Tilly Martin, if old Sam Piper, who used sometimes to give you a lift in his mule cart, could have heard you, what would he have said! “Neither would I,” said Madame de Luce, “not at all! As I was saying just a little while ago to Mathilde, if reverses of fortune should ever come to me, as they have to that poor Marcelle, I would rather give up one course at dinner, or even two, and hire a little coupe by the month.” “] thank you both for the strong interest you take in the smallest details of my life,” said Marcelle, withh a sarcasm she took no pains to conceal. “Oh! as to that, dear madam,” said Mrs. Martin, quickly, with a guilelessness worthy of the immortal Mistress Candor herself, “you can be sure that we pity you with all our heart. Poor little woman! we said just now on our way here. She who was so brilliant, so elegant, so petted, and now has to spend her life going to market and counting the linen— how painful it is.” If Marcelle had only known of Mrs. Martin’s former occupation, what a retort she could have made, but unfortunately she did not. Baron Chevrial, however, who had been listen- ing with secret enjoyment to the conversation, now thought it time to interfere. He saw an opportunity to win Macrelle’s gratitude, and he cared nothing comicbooks:co im