The Twin Detectives; or, The Robbers of the Tomb — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

149 THE TWIN DETECTIVES. «‘T wish you to come to breakfast, if you want any. If you don’t want to come, leave it alone.” ‘Certainly, I’ll come, with pleasure. What are you in this establishment? A nurse?” | «Yes, I’m a nurse; that’s what’s the matter with me.” «“Very well. Come.on; let us go to the dining-room.” «Come on.” The dark woman rose and followed her guide down a long, cold passage, to a large room, where about a score of women were squabbling around a long table, guiltless of table-cloth. They looked up when the new-comers entered. ‘Here, give the lady a seat!’ cried the nurse, who seemed to act as mistress of ceremonies. T'wo of the miserable-looking women made room for the stranger, who took her place at the hospitable board. The “‘ breakfast” consisted of soup-plates half-filled with boiled oat-meal. Over each portion was spread a little mo- lasses. There was a plate for each woman, but some of the hungry ones abstracted portions of their neighbors’ mush whenever they got the chance. They all used iron tablespoons to eat the oat-meal with, and squabbled freely over the unsavory meal. They soon forgot the stranger in their eagerness over the breakfast, and she sat looking about her in horror and sur- prise. ‘The women seemed of every rank in life; some wore the remains of what had once been handsome. dresses. Others were clothed in the coarsest and meanest garments, but otherwise they appeared all on equal footing. Evidently in the institution rich and poor fared alike. ‘<’Try and eat,” said a gentle voice at the elbow of the latest “‘ patient.” * Hat that stuff!” was the reply, in a tone of : Unspeale: able disgust. ‘Yes, it is frightful, is it not? But you will get nothing comicbooks (E(@) m a)