The Man in Possession — page 286: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 281 where Colonel Lawrence was awaiting her arrival with pardonable impatience. ‘‘ How grave youlook. Has anything happened ?” he exclaimed in alarm. “Yes,” she said, giving him her hand. ‘“A great deal has happened. My pretty scheme is all knocked on the head. That wretched little baronet has met with an accident, and is to be nursed back to health and strength by his fanmcée—thereby invest- ing himself with additional interest and riveting a claim which I had hoped was only a conditional sort of thing. Isn’t it hard on my poor Kate?” ‘‘And on my poor Tom,” he.said with mock seri- ousness. ‘‘ What isto be done now?” ‘‘We will have lunch together, and talk it over,’ she said, laughing. ‘‘I am quite exhausted. You have no idea what I have gone through this morning.” ‘‘T have been endeavouring to compassionate my- self,” he said gravely. ‘‘I had noconception before ; g y p this morning that three hours possessed something under five thousand minutes. That is what they represented. So I haven’t much pity left for you.” | ‘‘Of course I did not mean to be away so long, but I felt obliged to wait until I heard the result of the accident.” ‘“Am I expected to get up sympathy for that also?” he asked. ‘‘ You are not expected to be anything but genuine —by me,” she said, glancing up with her pretty smile, , ECOMNCE OOO SS) (SO