{"product_id":"2940013746480","title":"The Haunted Woman","description":"In the latter half of August, Marshall Stokes went to New York, in\u003cbr\u003eorder to wind up the estate of the lately-deceased brother of the lady\u003cbr\u003eto whom he was betrothed. As a busy underwriting member of Lloyd's, he\u003cbr\u003ecould ill afford the time--he was over there for upwards of a\u003cbr\u003efortnight--but no alternative had presented itself. Miss Loment had no\u003cbr\u003econnections in America, she possessed no other relations, except a\u003cbr\u003ewidowed aunt, with whom she lived, and it was clearly out of the\u003cbr\u003equestion for either of the two ladies to travel across in person, to\u003cbr\u003eexamine books, interview lawyers, deal with claims, etc.--they had not\u003cbr\u003ethe necessary business experience. The task, therefore, had devolved\u003cbr\u003eon Marshall. He had not been able to conclude the business, but he had\u003cbr\u003eput it in a fair way of being concluded, and had appointed a reputable\u003cbr\u003efirm to act as Miss Loment's representatives. The estate was worth\u003cbr\u003eforty thousand dollars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUpon his return to London about the middle of September he found\u003cbr\u003ethat his friends had departed for Brighton; Mrs. Moor--the aunt--\u003cbr\u003eapparently was feeling rundown. A perfumed little note from Isbel\u003cbr\u003epressed him to join them there. Marshall was unable to leave town\u003cbr\u003eimmediately, but two days later, on Friday afternoon, he abruptly shut\u003cbr\u003edown work for the week-end, and motored down by himself in glorious\u003cbr\u003eweather. His heart was high, and as he ran through the richly gleaming\u003cbr\u003eSussex country, overspread with a blue, plum-like bloom, arising from\u003cbr\u003ethe September mists, he thought that he had never seen anything quite\u003cbr\u003eso lovely. The sun was brilliant, and there was a crisp, invigorating\u003cbr\u003ebreeze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe dined the same evening with Isbel and her aunt, in the public\u003cbr\u003eroom at the Hotel Gondy, where they were staying. Neither of the\u003cbr\u003eladies attracted as much attention as Marshall himself. His large,\u003cbr\u003eloose, powerful figure went admirably with evening dress, while his\u003cbr\u003efull-blooded face, still covered with ocean tan, was peculiarly\u003cbr\u003enoticeable for its heavy, good-humored immobility; his very hands,\u003cbr\u003ehuge and crimson, yet not vulgar, marked him out from other men. Isbel\u003cbr\u003ekept alternately glancing at him and smiling down at her plate with\u003cbr\u003epleasure, apropos of nothing. Most of the talking came from him.\u003cbr\u003eReserving business until afterwards, he entertained his friends during\u003cbr\u003ethe meal with his personal experiences in the United States, the\u003cbr\u003erelation of which was rendered more piquant by a free adoption of the\u003cbr\u003every latest slang. Aunt and niece were both perfectly acquainted with\u003cbr\u003eAmerica, but they had the tact to keep this to themselves.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070246764784,"sku":"2940013746480","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013746480_p0.jpg?v=1763589704","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013746480","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}