Laura Brayton — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

132 LAURA BRA 4 TON. The keen, hateful gleam of Sharp’s eyes was bent with malignant eagerness on her face, every look of pain and disgust expressed, there was a joy to him. Seeing that she made no reply, he said: “Are you ready, girl? The minister is in the other room. Shall I call him in at once, or would you like a few minutes’ conversation with your noble lord that is to be!” Still Laura made no other re than a look of calm defiance. “Well, I see no need of further delay!” said Sharp, atlast. Then going to the door, he said, in a louder tone: “Parson Brown, you will please enter. Nathan Sloth, you also can come in.as a witness!” . Laura looked despairingly toward the door. A man with a long grayish beard, an uncombed mass of red hair, ina threadbare suit of black, witha white ncekcloth to denote his callng, entered the room. Close behind him, with a slow, catlike step, seeming terribly nervous, came Nathan Sloth. As they entered, Laura thought she heard the noise of still other people in the next room, but as no one came in, she thought she might have been mistaken. But she felt that a crisis was indeed at hand, and she nerved herself for the exigence by a resolve that no force, no terror should for a mo- ment shake her constancy to him she loved better | far than life. “Hurry up, parson, and get through with this matter, for I’ve other fish to fry!” cried Sharp. “And, by the way,” he added, as he heard footsteps in the outer room, “that reminds me to ask youa very important question. You are a real parson, cComicbooks com . ‘4