Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 248: what you’re looking at

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

MR. PAGE’S RESEARCHES 231 ences. I am unmarried, and have long wanted a wife. What do you say? Can you be happy as Mrs. Page? If so the bargain is soon struck and the fortune need not be divi- ded.”’ “* Well, if you’re willing to take me as I am,’’ responded the young woman, unhesitatingly, “I’m sure I cannot object to take you as you are. But we must leave this place together — I mean that we must not separate till the — the — ” “Till the knot is tied —eh, Julia? ’’ added Mr. Page, throwing his arm around her waist and imprinting a kiss upon her lips, which latter process made him aware of the fact that she had recently partaken of a liquor smelling marvellously lke gin; but he was not disposed to be over- nice under the circumstances. “ Yes, that is what I meant,’’ she observed. ‘“‘ If you are going to make a lady of me, the sooner the better. But my father was a gentleman once, by all accounts,” added Julia, with some degree of mournfulness in her tone, as her thoughts were thus suddenly brought back to the memory of her deceased parent. ‘ By the bye, what is your surname, my dear? ”’ inquired Page. “ Lightfoot,’’ was the answer. “T thought so!’’ ejaculated the commercial travel- ler. “What do you mean? ”’ demanded the young woman. “Do you know anything about us? ”’ ‘“ Yes — something — but no matter now,” replied Page. “We will talk of all that by and by. For the present we have other business to think of. Stay here we cannot — those villains next door would find me out; and yet how to leave the house until your father is buried — ”’ ‘“T have already given directions relative to the funeral, which will take place as privately as possible three days hence,” interrupted Julia. ‘‘ In the meantime we can re- main together; for even if you had not come here to-night and I had never known you, I should not have stayed any longer in the house with the corpse.” “Come, then,’’ said Page, ‘“‘ we will depart at once. Ii you have a good strong piece of cord, I will fasten four ot these bags around my waist, and my mantle will cover them. CORMICELOO© cS (F(©)