The Mission of Poubalov — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

178 POUBALOV’S REVOLUTION. ‘‘It is very hard to understand it all,’’ responded Clar . ‘‘but what makes you think Poubalov is better than we have thought him?’’ ‘Two or three things. Lizzie wrote mo that he called to see her just after you had gone away, and she says seemed real earnest about trying to find Mr. Strobel, and was just as polite as could be.’" ; ‘‘Doesn’t she say anything more about his call than that?” L ‘‘No, except that he spoke very kindly, and didn’t let her think that he had suspected her of anything wrong.”’ ‘‘T should say not,’’ remarked Clara, rather bitterly; ‘‘no one would know better than he that Lizzie was not concerned in the affair.’’ i. ‘I don’t see why, Miss Hilman. Why shouldn’t he think what other people thought? I'm afraid he did, for last Thursday evening he called here, and we hada real goc 1 talk about it. He seemed——”’ * ‘*Did you tell him I had gone to New York?” intenel rupted Clara, sharply, for she was impatient with these ingenuous statements of what Poubalov seemed to be, ‘‘Land sakes, no!’’ replied Mrs. White, ‘“‘but he told me he was going on, and when he suggested so kindly that he ~ would look up Lizzie, and let me know how she was situ- ated, I was glad to give him her address. He hasn’t been — - here since, though. Perhaps he hasn’t got back yet.”” Clara wondered wearily how stupidity should manage to | flourish in a world where people have to struggle so hard against one another, and then she immediately reproached — herself for the thought, recalling what a taxing puzzle Poubalov’s character presented to herself. She made no effort to undeceive Mrs. White—how could she with so little as she herself actually knew?—but rather turned the conversation into simple channels until she took her de-— parture. s Paul arrived at Mr. Pembroke’s about six o’clock, ; porting that Poubaloy had been absent all ccliyreastecik- comm