The Wasp, 1913 · page 119 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 119: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a dramatic dialogue between two characters—apparently an older woman of social standing (daughter of an archdeacon) and a man named Stanton, identified as an ensign (military officer). The scene depicts a confrontation over a scandal involving "Kitty," a young woman whose past connection to someone at Government House has been exposed. The woman accuses Stanton of compromising her respectable reputation through his deceptive dealings. Stanton, in turn, dismisses her moral objections while implying he's paid her substantially for her complicity. The satire targets social hypocrisy—the woman's outrage at exposure despite her willing participation, and Stanton's cynical assumption that money absolves ethical concerns. The reference to a "whole island" suggests a specific colonial or naval setting, though the exact location remains unclear from this excerpt alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
116 THE WASP “What’s all this?” she exclaimed. ‘‘A nice posi- tion you have put me in—me, a decent woman and the daughter of an archdeacon! Did you get Kit- ty’s note? What do you intend to do about it?” Stanton stuck out his chest and frowned. He was not to be browbeaten by this grasping old woman, at any rate. “What are you talking about?” he demanded. “Talking about!’ shrilled the lady. “Enough, in truth, to set this whole island agog! Enough to cause my venerable father to turn over in his grave! Oh, I was a fool to have anything to do with your low dissembling. Kitty—your young woman—has. heard that a gentleman at Govern- _ ment House is an old acquaintance of hers. Now the cat is out of the bag with a vengeance, and I am in everlasting disgrace.” “You have been handsomely paid for whatever risk you have taken,” retorted the ensign with a sneer. “You have bled me, and that’s the truth, you old harridan, stap me else. As for this former acquaintance of Kitty’s, this gentleman at Govern- Comichooks.com