A Fair Fraud — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

168 A Fair Fraud ‘You, Aunt Fanny!’ cried Marion, in amaze- ment. ‘Is anything the matter?’ ‘Nothing; only—I’ve—lost—my breath!’ gasped Mrs Drury, sinking down on a high chair just inside the door. ‘ Wait—till—I get —my breath—child.’ Marion waited. ‘Why, I don’t believe you’ve been up to my room for years, Aunt Fanny!’ she said merrily. ‘Not since I first came! I certainly never expected the honour of a visit from you!’ Mrs Drury was gradually recovering. She still wore her puce satin evening yown, although she had wrapped an old woollen shawl round her bare shoulders, under which the diamonds of her necklace gleamed incongruously. ‘I came to ask you to be sure and be down for breakfast to-morrow, Marion; half - past eight your uncle has ordered it—much too early for me! Will you be down, please, to give the gentlemen their breakfast? Two strangers are coming—Mr Grigson and his son. ‘Yes, aunt, certainly; Horner told me it was to be earlier. I meant to be down.’ And Marion said to herself that it certainly was not to remind, her of what was her obvious and daily duty to do that her aunt had clam- bered painfully up that steep and narrow stair- way! She waited for more. COMNMUC <S uu JOO (GO)