Violet Lisle — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

Be poe OSS aeaes » anisrocrams + = re ae is : r Bat ' “ Bs 2 > + e72%% < 7 s. > ME Sta by. Ye smd - “ Me = yy ee mre “It is. Pray} be seated, * and he one at focus rir, ae | Much as he hated the shabby little parlor he hela rt * Py have uttered a word of apology for it, acting with Le dy. Darlington as he had always acted with others, on the a sumption that Melville Lisle had nothing to apologize ‘or Be He wished her to understand that that wretched r. oom, ee with a descendant of the Lisles in it, was all that could be demanded by the most fastidious, | Lady Darlington felt all this, and it angered hee that instead of being borne down by. her presence he dared to hold himself to all appearances even higher than herself. — -. Jt put her in not the best mood for the conference, and . made her perhaps more icy than she otherwise would — have been. She felt, in fact, that the man before her — knew her errand, and assumed his manner to force her to | better terms. It was on this assumption that she began: | “T presume you know why I am here, Mr. Lisle ¢” she — es ek ye Fi KY > said, haughtily. et : “Indeed, Lady Darlington, I am utterly at a loss to know.” | oy His answer was as haughty as her own, and tinged with | an exasperating indifference that stung her to Say : = “At least you will understand that it is not a visit of pleasure.” It was by this time quite plain that Lady Darlingwan: had not come in any amicable spirit, and Melville Lisle was always only too ready to accept a slight to let this go _ unnoticed, and yet his overweening sense of what was due to himself was too great to permit him to commit an ~ overt act of discourtesy toalady. He could not, how- e ever, let this pass. He bowed politely. ia “Tt becomes a gentleman to agree with a lady,” he maid ironically. “There can be no doubt that this is not a visit of pleasure.” Lady Darlington bit her lip. “You have a daughter,. Violet Lisle,” she Said. ebruptly. He merely bowed. : “Tt is of her that I came here to speak,” said Lady ane: lington, determined now to plunge at once into the sub- ject. i a Again Melville Lisle only bowed, Lady Darlington was exasperated. — “TI presume you know,” she said, “ of her relations to a mn 8 gi ae! Saree oe ty " + ae . at en ae : ae Te ae 5 ae *§ a: Ws 6 my son.” | : Melville Lisle rose from his chair, his face white with ie, Me | ‘ ; ! ry (5 | | “com cbooks.com