The Illegal Marriage — page 250: what you’re looking at

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

242 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE CHAPTER XXIIL CONCLUSION, For a moment after Alfred Guerry had -burst from the room, Stannard and Trippe had looked at each other in silence. Stannard felt a profound pity for the young man; Trippe thought that he ought to be punished severely. “T hope this will do him good—from the bottom of my heart I do,” said Stannard, presently. “I should hate to see him come to grief again.” “Hor my part, Stannard,” Trippe replied, “I have very little hope of him. What can you expect from boys nursed as he has been! They call me an infidel for saying it, but I shall continue to say, that to hold a child to account for every little sin, or peccadillo, as strictly as you would one with a mature intellect, is the surest way to ruin the best nature in the world.” “Perhaps so; Guerry was always too strict with his children.” “That’s all the sympathy I have for that young fellow—I know that he had no youth.” 3 Trippe looked up with a laugh as he saw Stannard yawning. “*Pon my word you are a nice one to preach to— can’t bear a sermon five minutes long. You ought to be made to sit through Hallingshed’s two hours and a quarter—on a hot day.” “To tell the truth, Trippe, my mind was wander- ing—halloo!” he cried, looking at his watch, “it’s half-past four.” “Well, suppose it is.” “They told me to meet them at four—-Mrs. Bond and Cecy. They are going to start for Macon.” “This evening?” “They say so. They can do it with those horses by eleven o’clock, Comichboo ‘Ss