The Illegal Marriage — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

130 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. could see why. He isa very worthy young man, so faras I know. Besides, Ham, this letter may have been dropped the day before. His father assured me that Alf was at home last night, and we may do him a great wrong. I thought that I saw him in Johnson’s wood to-day; but must have been mis- taken.” For a short time neither spoke; but presently Stannard continued: “T know her well, and knew that she would rather have the stigma rest on herself than on him. I shall write to him this evening.” “And give him warning to get out of the way, I suppose?” “Now, Ham, you are as bad as Trippe. Alf would not go away so long as Cecy is in trouble; and my fear is that we shall not be able to keep him from the castle.” “You know him better than I do,” said Pierce, in reply. “I should not judge him, perhaps; but I did not get any very exalted ideas of him.” “He is not up tu your standard—lI’ll admit that, Ham; but he is young yet, and has several years to live before he gets to ourage. This marriage may be the making of him.” “Neither time nor opportunity evér can make some men—may be he is one of them. I wonder — how he ever came to pass for the bar.” “T don’t know, I’m sure. He is not very brilliant in that line; but then what are the young doctors when first turned loose upon the world?” “T give in,” said Pierce, laughing; “you have me there. “Yet, nearly all, or a majority of these young fellows, make very good physicians in the end.” “T’m sure they do. Ham, you and I have reached an age when we begin to see that it is unsafe to laugh ata young man. A young fellow of four-and- twenty has a great advantage over one at four- and-thirty, and he may live to shame the other for wasting his opportunities. Guerry has a profession that opens to him a career of politics, and we may yet find ourselves asking some official position from Comicbooks (Ele)