A Silver Brand — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

yourself and amuse me. Show me what the ideal lady is like,” she pleaded. ‘“Now you approach something like the truth. The ideal lady may be talked about, since the real and actual one is by no means an established fact.” In the midst of the evidéntly pleasing reverie which A SILVER BRAND. 107 brought that tender haze to his eyes he gave a sudden violent start. : : ‘Good heavens!” exclaimed he, “what a dolt I hav been.” Lady Theresa looked at him in astonishment. ‘“What are you talking about now, I pray you 2?” He was fumbling in his pockets, turning them over swiftly, and exclaimed, in a tone of keen disappointment © and a little indignation : “That is gone also. I suppose itis taken away with the _ pocket-book.” | And then he pulled forward hastily the China ewer that bore in gold and crimson the coat of arms everywhere to be seen on the furniture of the place, and began studying it over with eagerness, muttering : : “It is the same. Ido believe it is the very same! How strange that it should not have occurred to me before !” “Tam waiting with a great deal of attempted patience to hear what it is all about,” observed Theresa, dryly. He laughed, and turned his eager face to her. “Yes, I will tell you, and perhaps you can help me solve the riddle. I will tell you the whole story. Itis unaccountable that after searching all through France and Germany among the books of heraldry, I should have en- tirely forgotten the matter here. When I left home I - made my way, at the advertised time, to the port from whence the steamer I had decided to take took her depar- ture, but found that she would be detained a couple of days later by a little accident to her machinery. It was not worth my while returning home, and as I had friends in the town to help beguile the time, I remained and spent two as pleasant days as I can look back upon anywhere in my life. Among other things I took a trip with a college chum in his sail-boat down the harbor, and explored with him the queer, bleak, but delightful shores below. And this was where the rather romantic adventure happened. We had fished, and smoked, and had our basket lunch, and were reclining idly on the seats watching the swelling waves break sleepily around us, when my friend discov- ‘comicbooks (ele)