In Sight of St. Paul's — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

HEART: TO HEART. 79 But in spite of the warning, as they reached the -' - first landing, Gillie ran his head into a projection, ramming his hat over his eyes, which caused him to utter an exclamation not fit for ears polite. As they went up the second flight, the sound ofa girl singing in a fresh, clear voice reached their ears. Palfrey, without knocking, threw open the door of the third floor front. The singer stopped in surprise. She was a bright, fresh-looking girl, dressed very neatly in a print frock and a spotless white apron. ‘There was a quaint, old- fashioned air about her which was very attractive. ‘“Why, Jim,’’ she began, and, then as she caught sight of the gentleman behind him, she paused, -abashed. . ‘“This is a friend of Mr. Chichester’s, Becky,’’ said Palfrey. ‘‘Come in, sir, come in!”’ Fletcher entered the room. It was a fair-sized apartment, plainly but comfortably furnished. In the centre was a table, which the girl had just finished setting for supper. -- Becky Vetch, who was the landlady’s niece, and, it may be remarked, parenthetically, Jim Palfrey’s sweetheart as well, dropped a courtesy, awed by Gillie’s appearance. It was a rare occurrence for such an out-and-out swell to appear in that house. “Won’t you sit down, sir?’’ she said, shyly. ‘Thank you,’’ stammered Gillie, seating himself (elo) comicbooks m