The Man in Possession — page 252: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 247 startled by an abrupt exclamation. The next mo- ment a tall, middle-aged man sprang forward, seized her hands, and in a voice broken and hoarse with emotion was endeavouring to convey to her aston- ished ears his surprise and delight at this meeting. The usually self-possessed, brilliant little woman found herself for once speechless and bewildered. She could scarcely believe it possible that chance should have played into her hands like this—that, after years of waiting, heart-sickness, hopelessness, she should suddenly meet the one friend for whom her heart had longed. The surprise was almost painful in its suddenness, It robbed her of self-command as well as of speech. After one faltering exclamation she could only stand there with her hands prisoned in that strong grasp, white and trembling like a frightened child. He, too, big, stalwart soldier as he was, seemed. bewildered by the shock her presence had given him, and the commonplace aspect of the attendant waiter, deferentially drawing attention to the lady’s seat, was an additional feature in the /eb/eax. Woman-like, Mrs. Lafaye recovered herself first. ‘It is most surprising,” she said—then added rapidly, ‘‘When did you come? How long have you been staying here ?” He answered briefly, and she drew her hands away, and smiled up at him in a vague, wistful manner. It was impossible to say much with all those eyes upon them. Yet there was something in her look which comforted him, conveying some sudden sense of nearness which was sweeter than ECOMNCE OOO SS) (SO