I Forbid the Banns! — page 226: what you’re looking at

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

2106 ‘7 FORBID THE BANNS!” wish to make the man feel any more embarrassed than he actually was at that moment. The horses of the strangers, ' however, were not so absorbed in the view at the other side of the hedge as they were at the prospect of taking a mouthful out of the necks of the approaching animals. The consequence was that both the horses, which were meant to remain passive, wheeled suddenly round just as the two others were passing them, and the action revealed to the astonished eyes of Bertha and Julian that the man who was pointing over the hedge with his whip was Cyril Southcote, and that the young woman whose interest he was pretending to be endeavoring to arouse was Marian ‘Travers. ‘ Heavens!” cried Cyril, “is it really you ?”’ It was rather a feeble remark for a polisher of paradoxes to make; and this shows how dangerous it is for such persons to ride about dim lanes in the month of May, with a girl possessing a charming figure for a riding habit by their side. ‘“‘T am delighted,” cried Marian, her face roseate either from the effects of her delight or from the effects of the view over the hedge. “It cannot be,’ she continued, looking earnestly at Bertha—‘‘ and yet 4 “Yet it is,” said Julian. “ Why should it not be? Why should we not be on a road within three miles of our home ?”’ “ Of our home—our home ?” cried Marian, looking from him to Bertha and back again to him, and then at Cyril, who, she could see, was preparing something clever and paradoxical as an after greeting to his friends. ‘ Our home? Ah, then, the congratulations which I ventured to offer in the docks were not misplaced, though you tried to make it®appear that they were, you silly things!” she added. ‘‘ And when is the event of events to take place?” “ The event of events?”’ said Julian. EOMMICLYOO|KS 4)