The Man in Possession — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

108 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. allthe same. This particular black sheep moved on to the exclusive and forbidden pastures so jealously guarded, quite unconscious of her brand. She was rather amused than otherwise at the various expres- sions on the faces of that group, and much more amused at the sort of flutter of skirts that strove to hedge poor Sir Wilfred more securely from her baneful influence. A fashionable crowd is almost always an irritable and restless thing. All desire to see everything, hear everything, and abuse everything at once. One can only wonder why people with charming houses and every possible comfort around them will persist in filling small houses with a set of persons who are not in the least grateful for the invitation, who regard every detail and arrangement with hostile criticism, who agree with each other, the moment the ‘‘house-party ” breaks up, that everything was ill-man- aged, dull and ‘‘ boring” to a degree. Kate O'Brien had not yet arrived at this stage of social enjoyment: she only looked on with inward amusement and outward indifference, and wondered whether it was quite good breeding for these mothers and daughters to show so plainly that the one and main object of their presence here was the capture of this weak-minded baronet. Lady Jocelyn advanced the moment she caught sight of young Rivers. ‘* At last,” she said. ‘‘I was afraid your aunt had forgotten my message.” ‘‘ No, it reached me in course of time,” he answered. ‘* But what is wrong now, Lady Jocelyn? The play COMicloe <Sr ‘