The Man in Possession — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN IN POSSESSION. 67 sighed pityingly, ‘‘’tis main and hard on him that he should be always in debt and throuble ; and Miss Kate, bless her, ’tis the hard life she’s had for many and many a year. And look now,” she burst out in- dignantly, ‘‘with the finest chance in the wurrld at makin’ a grand match, and enjoyin’ herself with the best o’ the quality, and all stopped in a minnit by raison o’ the likes o’ ye!” ‘Of me,” echoed the young man, somewhat bewildered and not altogether pleased at the infor- mation contained in one part of Biddy’s speech. ‘‘Well, shure they can’t go visitin’ into the coun- thry when there’s this throuble in the house,” said Biddy. ‘‘And poor Miss Kate lookin’ forrard to it, and the lords and ladies all ready to worship her, for shure she’s jist a quane among them, wid the beauty and the grand air of her, not to mintion her knowledge of forrin’ tongues and her swate voice whin she’s singin’, that would break the heart o a stone, if it had one.” ‘‘ And so,” said the young man, pale and thought- ful now—‘‘ and so, Biddy, they were asked on a visit to a grand house to meet—lords and ladies?” ‘¢Thrue for you,” said Biddy, ‘‘and one o’ thim’s to be Miss Kate's husband. At laste the master says so, and the gintleman s mother she’ S agrayable, and Miss Kate—— “Well,” said the young man more eagerly, ‘‘ what about Miss Kate herself?” ‘‘Shure she doesn’t bother her head in the matter at all, atall,” said Biddy loftily. ‘“ Why should she? There’s not the man livin’, lord or no lord, that could COMicloe (Sri C(O)