Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

A SEVERE THREAT. 173 knees at his bedside. Lola waited to see no more; and, fol- lowed closely by Dot, she left the sick-room. In the tiny entry outside the door Dot slipped her hand through Lola’s arm. ‘“ Did you ever?” she panted, fiercely; ‘‘looks like she has aright to be there! Lola, she’s a cat!” snapped the little actress, defiantly, and waxing warm with her subject—‘‘ a spite- ful cat! and—I don't know how much worse! I detest that woman—lI distrust her! What right has she here? I know her name—she’s Lady Venetia Chandos, one of the grandees who stick up their noses at every honest working woman, and then goesand does a thousand times worse than earning a living !” Lola turned aside to hide her own tragic face. ‘She is Mr. Vernon’s betrothed wife, Iam sure,” she said, softly, and speaking as calmly as though she were not suffering with horrible despair, ‘* Aumph !” Dot turned suddenly, and drawing Lola’s head down, kissed her tenderly. ‘‘There isn’t a man in the world worth worrying about, dear !” she cried, warmly. - Lola made no reply, and they went into Mrs. Brown’s neat parlor to await the next move in the game. After a time, there came the swish of silken skirts, and my lady appeared, trailing her azure silk robe over the bare but spotless floor. She walked straight up to Lola and paused be- fore her. Her beautiful, flower-like face was uplifted, but there was a steely glint in the depths of her deep-blue eyes, and the rosy lips were compressed in a narrow line. ‘Are you the person (oh, the awful superciliousness in the icy, thoroughbred voice !) ‘‘the person who—who has attended my—Mr. Vernon during his illness to Lola’s little head was crested proudly, and her magnificent eyes flashed with superb scorn. (ee) =) comicbooks