A Fair Fraud — page 273: what you’re looking at

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

262 A Fair Fraud turned away with indignation from the unkind implication. It is possible that the poor woman really thought that this old bachelor friend who had wished to marry her a great many years ago might be brought to a renewal of his attentions ; but whether General Dacre would have done sO or not is immaterial to the present story. He did not turn up at the theatre, and Mrs Bradford wore her blue silk cloak in vain, and to het own unloing. The theatre was crowded and very hot. When it was over, and they came out, the mother and daughter stood in the draughty vestibule a long time waiting for a cab. When at last they got away Mrs Bradford shivered and complained of the cold all the way home, and regretted bitterly, now it was too late, that she had not been content to wear her old warm winter wrap. | The next morning she was too ill to get up, and Hester in alarm sent for the doctor. The sequel was not an uncominon one—an attack of acute inflammation of the lungs, ac- companied with very high fever; three days of alinost bewildering terror and anxiety to her child, and then she sank rapidly and died, and Hester was left an orphan. Hester mourned her mother sincerely and bitterly, for, with all her faults, Mrs Bradford had been an affectionate mother according to GORMGIOO