A Fair Fraud — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

A Fair Fraud 67 nothing better than adventuresses, and the position they occupied in society was a false one altogether. Moreover, her uncle and aunt were being disgracefully deceived by them, and Kenneth Drury, whom Mrs Lane was apparently scheming to secure as a hus- band for her daughter, was only sought by her, and possibly by Hester herself also, be- cause he was a rich man, whom it would be an advantage to them both to catch. Marion’s heart beat with angry indignation as she thought of it, and as she neared the house she almost determined to rush into her aunts presence and denounce these women to her, and make a clean breast of the secret she had overheard, and thus save Kenneth from becoming the victim of so base a conspiracy. But just as she had come to this decision she turned and looked back. Captain Drury and Hester were walking slowly homewards together up the long slope of the hill behind her, and something in the way in which they walked—in their lingering footsteps, in the two faces turned so often towards each other—suggested new thoughts to Marion. Kenneth Drury was bending a little towards his companion; he was talking to her earnestly. As they drew nearer, she heard Hester laugh a little, and he seemed to be re- monstrating with her; then her foot stumbled ZAGOMMGOO@ oO C' Q)