Vashti's Fate — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

164 A TUTOR AT EVERLEIGH. ‘‘Come into my room, then, and tell me what all this means. ” ; “Into your room—where are your wits, Hetty? <A pretty mess it would be to have that old Gorgon catch me there.” | ‘‘Come into the sitting-room, then—there is certainly no harm in that.” He followed her, looking SEE: but pleased, na said, as he glanced round the room: ‘Be quick, now, with whatever you've got to say, and, if anybody comes, I would thank you to slip out of the other door before they get in.” ‘‘What do you mean talking this way, Percy Dascomb ?” she asked, with bitter anger. ‘‘ What is all this privacy for? What am I, and what are you, that there is need for sucha juggling performance as this? Did you pretend you were dead to get ridof me? Do you think you can stave me off now? You didn’t expect to find me here I'll be bound ; you wouldn't have come, if you had. What do you mean, Percy Dascomb—tell me, will you?” ‘“‘Softly, Het, don't talk so loud. It was no fault of mine that you heard | was dead. I have been. traveling in Europe, living on my wits, and educating myself for a tutor in a gentleman’s family.” He laughed scornfully as he said the last werds, fo she said in bitter incredulity : “You a tutor!” ‘“‘Ay, Mistress Het—a tutor for the nonce. I’ve quali- fied myself; and hark you, ma’am, it is my pleasure that you and I conduct ourselves to each other as though we had never met before. Smooth over that performance of yours a while ago—pretend that you were ill, or anything you ~ visi ea. ate my ‘ HK a 5 com cbooks.com a 2 BS: