José — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

116 JOSE. ' cigar, while the latter was pensively picking a piece of bread into crumbs, and dropping the fragments into a water tumbler on the table before him. “What do you think of Miss Mary’s peculiar action, and what do you advise me to do?” asked the young man, pursuing the current of the conver- sation. | The other abruptly straightened up and passed his hand through his hair. “T have no opinion on the subject, and cannot advise you!” he replied; “these things will arrange themselves of their own accord, and all that is necessary is to give the girl a little rest and time to collect herself. It is barely a month since you were first introduced, and since that time we have hardly had a moment’s rest. In this place she will soon learn to give your society the preference—only give her time.” McGregor gave a vigorous puff at his cigar, and allowed the chair to assume its normal posture. “I must confess that Ido not quite share your con- fidence. There is something on her mind that I cannot explain. When we called for her in Boston, her conduct toward me was wholly unconstrained, although she must have guessed my intentions toward her. Then followed that episode in Missis- sippi, and from the moment that I found her again at the hotel in Vicksburg, I date her change of manner. If it were not for the short time of our separation, I should ascribe the difference to some event that had completely alienated her affection from me. As it is, Il am groping wholly in the dark, conscious of an efiect whose cause is a mys- tery.” Brown shook his head with a forced smile. Eomichooks;com