I Forbid the Banns! — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

54 ‘7 FORBID THE BANNS!” He had never unfolded his chair for the accommodation of a fellow-passenger since leaving Table Bay. The girl was extremely pretty. The thoughts of Miss Travers had this sequence as she stood at the door of the deck house ; and as her thoughts came, her heart stood still. Where on earth had they come from? She had heard of persons being picked off rafts by steamers after undergoing terrible hardships: had these strangers come aboard the steamer in this wise? They did not look like it. The elder lady did not look in the least like a person who had been rescued at the last moment from the results of a protracted régzme of starva- tion. The younger had a bright complexion, and her lips were like red coral. Her dress fitted her to perfection. That was the worst of it. Where on earth had they come from? It did not take Marian Travers long to see all that was to be seen of this strange occurrence, and to ask herself every question possible to be asked regarding the myste- rious appearance of the two ladies—one of them in the chait which Julian Charlton cherished for his own accom- modation. Curiously enough, all her observations and reflections were crystallized into the one thought—the girl’s dress fitted her to perfection. The result of that one thought was not to impart artistic gratification to Marian Travers’ bosom. And it was only the previous night that she had felt grati- fied at the reflection that Julian Charlton was becoming jealous ! She took a few steps down the deck away from where the group were sitting. A voicesounded behind her—the voice of Captain Waring. ‘“‘Miss Travers,’’ said the voice, “may I ask you as a friend to tell me if I was very drunk last night ?” | COMME DOOKSaE©