The Illegal Marriage — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

149 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE, “T have just left her. She bears her troubles wonderfully well.” “Like a saint, indeed. Poor girl, how I pity her. Alf, we must fit that room up for her to-morrow if there is an upholsterer in Perry.” “Y-e-s!” Guerry answered, slowly, for want of something else to say; “yes—certainly.” He felt uncommonly squeamish under the steady eaze of those black eyes, which seemed to look through and through him. ) Peyton Crawford, Stannard’s friend and attorney, was a young man, for one who had attained so wide a reputation at the bar, and but a year or two, per- haps, older than Stannard himself. Few could look upon his handsome face without being struck by it. His round face‘and olive skir his keen black eye, in which lurked a pleasant smile, his straight black hair, thrown back from a broad brow, and his upright, compact form, made him a perfect type of manly beauty. Alas! that I must say, writing these words many years after the KEchaconnee tragedy, that this Apollo—with a young wife, with fame, with wealth, with all that could make life happy in his golden prime—now sleeps in a soldier’s grave. Crawford had come up from Columbus at his friend’s request, but at no small loss to himself. Stannard had the utmost confidence in Crawford’s attainments, and for many years had intrusted all his business to him. “So the grand jury have found a bill,” said Craw- ford, presently. “I suppose, Martin, it was on the verdict solely.” “It is preposterous; upon my word it is. I never saw such stupidity. f “Perhaps so, Stannard. We must try and prove it so.” For the next half hour the four men went over the case together, Alfred maintaining strict silence. With those wonderful eyes upon him, he dare not trust himself to speak, and every moment feared that Stannard would refer to the letter. The two lawyers could not join in Stannard’s comicbooks:co