Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

THE BALL dol but I hadn’t time to learn any more particulars, for the music struck up and I was coming to ask Mrs. Denison to select a partner for Mr. Paton.” At this moment some new guests arrived; Mr. and Mrs. Denison hastened to greet them, and Lady Saxondale stepped aside with Juliana to exchange a few hurried obser- vations. ‘Can you read this mystery? ’’ inquired the mother. “T confess that I cannot,” answered the daughter. “ But is it possible, think you, that this boy has told Mr. Hawkshaw — ”’ ‘No, I do not think so,” interrupted Juliana, the liveliest carnation again mounting to her features. ‘‘ He would not do it, and u he had, the squire would not make a scene here. No, it 1s ridiculous.”’ “ Well, you know them both best,” said Lady Saxondale. “ But you will not think of dancing with that boy? No doubt he has invented a tissue of falsehoods to impose upon Mr. Hawkshaw about his rank and his fortune. Indeed, the whole thing looks ominous, Juliana.’’ “Mother, recollect our compact,’ said the daughter, impressively. ‘' The affair is mine, — leave me to manage it. Depend upon it I shall know how. On your side, breathe not a word relative to Frank’s antecedents; you had better pretend not to know him.”’’ ‘I shall certainly follow your advice,’’ answered Lady Saxondale, half-haughtily, half-sarcastically. ‘Now, Miss Farefield,’’ said Mrs. Denison, ‘‘ when you and her ladyship have taken a cup of coffee, I will introduce Mr. Paton to you. Permit me to escort you both into the saloon.” We must here observe that at the spot where Francis Paton and Mr. Hawkshaw were located at the farther extremity of that immense apartment, they could not see what was taking place in the anteroom where the Denisons received their guests; and it happened that just at the moment when Lady Saxondale and Juliana looked through the doorway and beheld Frank inthe manner above described, neither he nor the squire was glancing in the same direction at the time. But Frank had heard, from some remark which had been made close by, that Lady Saxondale and her daughter were expected to be present at the ball, and he CONNIEDOOKS (S(O)