A Fair Fraud — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

200 A Fair Fraud felt sure he would be back even earlier than usual.’ ‘Perhaps they were a long way off,’ sug- gested Mrs Lane. ‘No, only at the edge of the woods where you were yesterday, and nearly two miles nearer home. Hark! what was that?’ They all held their breath and listened. There was a faint sound of running footsteps on the wet gravel of the drive. They came nearer and nearer. “Why should they run?’ murmured Marion ; but the words had scarcely left her lips before they were all start'ed by a loud knocking and ringing at the front door. ‘It is bad news!’ cried Mrs Drury, spring- ing to her feet with her hands clasped upon her heart. ‘Go to the door, Marion.’ Marion had already flown to open it. Asa matter of fact, tt was not locked, and any one of the gentlemen would simply have turned the handle and walked in, therefore she knew it must be some messenger. She threw the door open. A youth in work- man’s clothes, breathless with running, stood outside. ‘Come in!’ cried Mrs Drury, loudly. ‘Come in at once. What is the matter?’ The lad slouched into the brightly-lit hall, twirling his cap in his hand. JOO oO G' Q)