Marion Marlowe's Triumph, or, In Spite of Her Enemies — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

4 MY QUEEN. ES As she spoke she raised her eyes to her lit- tle glass, and the reflection that came back to her astonished her a little. The great oray eyes were luminous as stars, her cheeks were glowing with a brilli- ant hue, and between the parted lips her white teeth gleamed like polished ivory. She could not help seeing how beautiful she was, yet this fact did not increase her vanity by so much as a fraction. “Oh, well, I will be on the stage some time, ‘Madame Leopold is training me as fast as she can, an ! I hope,” she said, with a sigh. Mr. Everett, the musical critic, will help me, too. But, oh dear, I seem to have a new am- bition to-night! I want to be an actress as wellasasinger.” § She smiled a little as she prepared for bed; then, almost from force of habit, she stopped and listened. Much to her surprise, things down stairs grew suddenly quiet. Two or three doors slammed loudly, but after that there was very little disturbance. | The young girl was soon in bed, sleeping the sleep of health. But the other boarders were not all sleeping, although they were un- usually quiet, and in one room, at least, three people were busily talking. Miss Villette had gone back to her crabs and lobsters, and was very much annoyed to find her room in darkness. Her friends, Nona Nelson, a soubrette, and Hugh Dean, the comedian of the company, were with her, but in spite of their disappointment at the inter- rupted banquet they were inclined to be un- usually silent. “The mean old thing! She’s been in here and turned my gas off!” said Miss Villette, under her breath, as she opened the door. It was not necessary for her to explain whom she meant, for it had not taken a week to dis- cover this one of their landlady’s habits. ee ae pai) - ~ % ¢* ~ E = * 7 — a ; “as > t a z “Lock your door next time you go out,” said Nona, quickly. ear. ss She was a pert-looking blonde, with org > low skin, and at present she was arrayed ae Japanese kimona that fairly blossomed with : one-legged birds and sunflowers. _ alte B “Or else read the riot act to the old « me,” “These bette keeper Ss here, “T wouldn't be surprised if that Mies Mar- — lowe put her up to it! She’s a treacherous lit- said Dean. are as mean as imisers.’ i: pe PF tle minx, if I’1 not mistaken.” - % Miss Villette was relighting the gas as she spoke, and soon had her lobster sizzling mer- rily. a = 3 “Wow! Jerusalem! Vera Stave I got ’e mS again! Why the mischief didn’t you tell me — there was a lot of those beasts loose on the : premises !”’ 5 & &. Hugh Dean had uttered a sudden yell, and | car at the same time had made a jump fora table. | “Oh, there’s only six of “em! They rie “T'll corral — them in a minute, as soon as the water boils. Oh, I’m a dandy at crabbing on dry land, Hughey !” Re. FA “You are a Seay at anything,’ was Dean's / admiring answer. .? hurt you,” said Vera, laughing. “Ed Gordon don’t think so,’ nie: ag up the soubrette, who was never averse to torment ing the Ingenue. “Pooh! Who cares for Ed Gordon, any= way!’ said Miss Villette, loftily, as she made — ‘ a dash for the first crab and bounced Din i“ ba into the boiling water. | “Well, you do, for one,” was Nona Nel- | son's answer. ‘You're dead in love with him | 7 and you know it, els¢ why would you be jeal- ~ “But I'm not, | tell you,” said the wornen : 4 3 it * all fiercely. ‘I just want you to understand that I’m in love with no man. If T was I woul A put up with no nonsense, I can tell yo, lft Fe comic 200ks.¢