The Man in Possession — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 49 She listened with passive hopelessness as her father enlarged on the hundred and one things that ‘‘might” happen between now and the promised visit. Itdid not hold out any special attraction for her. As for Lady Jocelyn’s son, she had heard he was a young man of weak mind and feeble body whose tastes inclined to the exhilarating attraction of the music-hall, and the no less dangerous allure- ments of the gaming-table. His mother was anx- ious he should be married, as she was confident a wife could reform him. Of how the ‘‘reformer” would take to her office, or whether the task would be as agreeable as necessary, did not enter her head. Once get the wife, the rest would be easy; so she thought with the fond infatuation of mothers of ‘‘only sons. There was no lack of mothers with “only,” or indeed many, daughters who quite en- dorsed Lady Jocelyn’s opinion, and were quite Chris- tianly anxiaus to allow one of these self-sacrificing young missionaries to go forth on the good work. The young man, however, was obstinately determined not to settle down, and not to be ‘‘ reformed,” so there was still a pleasant atmosphere of hope and uncer- tainty about the various house-parties at Croft, at every one of which the young sultan was supposed to be about to throw the handkerchief in token of his choice. Lady Jocelyn was only a recent acquaintance of Cornelius O’Brien’s, but she had taken a great fancy to the genial, amusing and always entertaining Irishman, and had called on Kate before leaving town in order to personally invite her to Croft. 4 COMIC DOOKS.G