A Social Meteor — page 266: what you’re looking at

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

256 A SOCIAL METEOR, “Ves,” he replied, “I would have come before, only I’ve been unusually busy. Sooner or later, though,” he continued with a short, hard laugh, “T was bound to turn up.” “T want to tell you how much, how very much,” she began, modestly dropping her eyes, “I regret my indiscretion that night; I can never forgive - myself, zever. ButI do hope you will try and forget it, and Y “Pray don’t mention it my dear girl,” inter- rupted Lee, “we were all in for a good time, you know.” ‘Then, as if anxious to change the topic of conversation, he went on: “I can’t begin to tell you how shocked and grieved I was to hear of Charlie’s bad luck. It was so unexpected, so sudden. I never was more dumfounded in my _ life.” | “Yes,” replied Mrs. Thorne, sighing, “it was a terrible blow—especially to me, who never dreamed but that his affairs were in a prosperous condition. I had no suspicion that anything was wrong, until that night when he called me into the library and told me, in the most brutal fashion, that we were beggars, or nearly so. Can you imagine my feelings? I cried all night; I couldn’t help it. The thought of leaving this ‘house where I’ve spent so many happy hours, and the world where I’ve been such a _ power, nearly broke my heart, at first.” And she (E(6) Ecomicbooks