Her Faithful Knight — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

Passion and Poetry. 153 “Oh, it was nothing very unkind. Only that he was very glad for your sake that you had an engagement for life offered you by the Hon. Mr. Derrick, as you would not be able to secure another on the stage.” “Tt was most impertinent of him!’ exclaimed Miss Knight, flushing with anger. “What right had he to make such a statement—the first part, I mean?” “Oh, our handsome manager makes no secret of his adoration for you. And I really fail to see what there is about it to make you angry.” Mrs. Stourton-Chepe was beginning to feel somewhat exasperated by Dorothy’s continued indifference to the splendid chance offered to her. It was true that the elder lady knew but little of the Hon. Darcy Derrick, and that | that little included several discreditable stories connecting his name with various women. But what of that? A girl in Dorothy’s position could not afford to be too par- ticular. Darcy had come into twenty-five thousand pounds on his father’s death, which the latter had been unable to will away from him; if Dorothy married him at once like a sensible girl she might at least assist him in the spending of it, or, better still, she might insist, while he was yet in the first flush of passion, that he should settle a nice little yearly allowance strictly upon her. She would then be the Hon. Mrs. Derrick, sister-in-law of Lord Derrick, and daughter-in-law to a lady who num- bered an Italian princess among her near relatives. Disquieting news from home reached Dorothy during the latter part of the week at Brighton. Phyllis, or “Mrs. Trevelyan” as the nurse called her in her letters, was certainly worse, delirious often, and suffering torments from headache and neuralgia. Nurse Rose wrote full ac- counts of her patient daily, and was evidently most as- siduous in her care. She had indeed been surprised at the willingness with which her ordinary fee of two ruineas iGbooks (E()