I Forbid the Banns! — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE CUTTING OF CAMEOS. Il you have any meaning to be grasped. You talk about— what is it ?—crawling—influence— phenomenon—love— goodness knows what—and wind up with a casual remark touching the speed of the vessel. Now can you blame me for failing to understand your drift?” “TI would not blame you, even if you did not under- stand, Miss Travers,’ he replied, with a smile that was meant to re-assure her that her soul lay fully exposed to his view. Miss Travers was irritated by that smile, because she knew its meaning. It is almost indecent for a person to give you to understand that your soul lies fully exposed to his scrutiny. Surely one has a right to claim a little privacy for one’s own soul. “YT would rather that you remained incomprehensible than rude, Mr. Southcote,” said she with quiet dignity ; and lest he should have some reply ready—which would be extremely irritating—she walked away and reseated her- self in her deck chair, and endeavored to become more interested than ever in the novel which she had abandoned in order to take part in what seemed to be a most profitless conversation with Mr. Southcote. It so happened, however, that the conversation was not profitless, and she was aware of this fact. She was extremely interested in whatever views Julian Charlton held on the “ phenomenon of love ’’—as Mr. Southcote chose to call it. Marian Travers was the daughter of a certain high commissioner who had been sent out to the Cape to settle some question as to the delimitation of native terri- tory—a question which was so important that no one at the Cape could understand it, consequently the Colonial Office was obliged to send out a high commissioner to increase its importance—and complexity. The climate of Cape Colony suited the somewhat uncertain constitution of Colonel Travers. A long residence in India had impaired COMMICLIOOlKS. EC)