The Man in Possession — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

30 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. should think it an honour, a pleasure. I should indeed !” Certainly a very strange young man—for a bailiff. Kate looked at him steadily. Again that haunting memory crossed her, but she could not remember how or where she had seen him before. ‘‘ Well,” she said at last, ‘‘I believe there has been an attempt ata Christmas pudding, and prom- ised Biddy to mix it. It is rather late to set about such an important matter; most people make their puddings a week or two before Christmas, but this——” she looked round, then went over to a cupboard and brought out a large earthenware basin filled with ‘many strange and unwholesome looking things. ‘‘This,” she resumed, pointing to the basin witha wooden spoon, ‘‘is only a feeble attempt, on Biddy’s part, to keep up with the spirit of the season.” The young man. approached and looked eagerly into the basin. “Is that how a plum-pudding looks before it’s mixed,” he said. ‘‘Have you never seen one in this stage of ex- istence before?” laughed Kate. Her spirits were rising. She no longer felt the gloom and depression of the drawing-room weighing her down. ‘*No, never,” said the young man. The girl looked suddenly at him with her frank grey eyes. ‘‘Do you like being a bailiff?” she asked. A smile of unconcealed amusement flickered over his face. ‘‘Very much,” he said, ‘‘ under some circumstances. But you see I’ve not been very long COMicloe (Sri C(O)