Ruby's Reward — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

She drew back a trifle, but continued to watch the game, her eyes fixed, as if fascinated, upon the white, shapely hand of Mrs. Gordon’s antagonist, as it made its wary moves, while she wondered if it could have been guilty of the crime of tampering with his father’s will. “Check!? murmured Mr. Carpenter, as he bore down upon Mrs. Gordon's king with his knight. She moved her king, “Check! was repeated, as a bishop swept diago- nally across the board and confronted the much tried monarch, He retreated again behind a pawn when Mr. Car- penter marched his queen forward and took the in- offensive pawn with a victorious ‘Checkmate !” and the game was done, Mrs. Gordon looked up with a sigh. “Well, you are the most successful player it was ever my privilege to meet. I call myself pretty good at chess, but you checkmate me two out of every three games,'’ she said, viewing the men wistfully, as if she would like to try again. Mr. Carpenter laughed. “T am usually successful in all games;” he an- swered, lightly, as he began to gather up the pieces and put them back into the box, “indeed, I seldom fail in anything that I veally set about doing. “Now, Miss Ruby, command me, I am most happy to be at your service,” he added, looking up at the young girl, while both his face and tone softened into something of tenderness as he spoke. She thought his boastful words had sounded very egotistical, and she could not help saying to herself that although he might have been always successful hitherto, she believed his luck was on the verge of changing, and all because of a tiny mouse. But she simply remarked: “Mr. Carpenter, I have broken your desk.” “Broken my desk? Well, I do not believe you can have done any very great damage to that cumber- some old thing; so there is no need to look so serious overit. How did it happen?” he asked, indifferently. as he deposited the last pawn in the box,and slipped the cover over it. : s