Her Faithful Knight — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XIV. PASSION AND POETRY. The Hastings papers were not slow in following Lon- don’s lead. Dorothy bought them all as they came out and scanned them eagerly to see if any one of them offered her the slightest encouragement. But, while condemning the play as tedious and lacking action, one and all attributed its signal failure chiefly to the incompetence of Mr. Darcy’s leading lady, and little as she liked her new pro- fession, Dorothy could not help feeling deeply humiliated and disappointed, and none the less so because the other members of the company scarcely attempted, even in her presence, to veil their triumphant amusement at the turn things had taken. “Serves her right ; coming here with her airs and graces and a dressing-room to herself just because the manager is fool enough to be in love with her. It’s these imper- tinent amateurs who crowd the stage and prevent sound and experienced artists from earning a living.” Such was the opinion of at least four members of the company on Miss Knight’s fiasco. The Stourton-Chepes, Jack Wyverly and Coles were more amused than anything. It was just like Darcy, they said, to engage a novice be- cause she had a pretty face. She would teach him an ex- pensive lesson, which he much needed. Only Marmaduke Strutt was sorry for Dorothy when he noted, through all her proud and determined efforts at self-control, the red- ness of her eyelids and the pallor of her cheeks. COMNICLO© <S) (E@)