The Man in Possession — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

6 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. ture of fog, rain, darkness and dreariness that we have known in our own generation. The present approach of the festive season had been heralded by thick fog and biting winds. The big dreary station looked even more dreary than usual as the damp mists clung to it with zealous fervour, and the cold bitter wind blew in fierce gusts from one end of the platform to the other. Only a few people were waiting there, besides the usual assemblage of guards and porters. The train was very late, and the cold and unhappy-looking mortals might just as well have remained in the waiting-room by the large roaring fire, seeing that by no possible means could their dreary tramp up and down the platform expedite the tardy train. watch for the signal and an incessant questioning o However, they seemed to think that an oning of) f the blandly ignorant porters was incumbent upon them. Only two people, both young, yet with a philo- sophic acceptance of the situation that put many of heir elders to shame—only two people, a young man and a young woman—remained in the waiting-room —-one on either side of the fire. The young woman—for that term describes her better than the word ‘‘girl’”—was apparently about twenty years of age. She had a singularly beautiful face, with wonderful eyes, dark grey, black-lashed and full of expression. Her hair, which was of the loveliest richest brown, taking aruddy glow from the dancing fire-flames was coiledin wonderful luxuriance under her small velvet toque. She had thrown open COMicloe (Sri C(O)