The Price He Paid — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

92 AT THE BALL. As he spoke thus, he scanned Gabrielle’s face with a keen, investigating glance; then, turning from her, his look riveted itself on George. At this moment the cavalier who had been fortunate enough to secure the young lady’s promise for the first dance came up and offered her hisarm. George bowed, and stepped back. There wasa movement among the company. The younger portion of it streamed off toward the ball-room, while the elders dispersed through the adjoining saloons. The great drawing-room grew comparatively empty, and Baroness von Harder was just thinking of leaving ee post in it, when her brother-in-law came up to er. “You know something of Assessor Winterfeld?” he said in a low tone. The baroness nodded assent. “T have told you that we made his acquaintance in Switzerland this summer.” “Did he often come to your house?” “Pretty often. I was always pleased to receive him, and should have continued to see him here, if you had not expressed so decided a wish to the con- trary.” “T do not desire to admit the young clerks to my private circle,” replied the baron, curtly; “and I cannot understand, Matilda, how, in the retirement in which you were then supposed to be living, you could grant the first stranger you met an entrance to your house, and allow him perfect freedom of intercourse with your daughter.” “Oh, it was quite an exceptional case,” pleaded the baroness. “The assessor had rendered us a signal service one day when we were in danger on the lake. You know that he——” “Brought you and Gabrielle through the shallow water to land without the smallest difficulty,” con- cluded Raven. “Yes, I know that; and I do not doubt that he has taken advantge of this slight ser- vice, which any fisher-boy could have rendered you, to pose as your deliverer, not altogether un- successfully, it would seem. Gabrielle has just ac- corded him a dance which she had refused to young Eomichooks.co