A Silver Brand — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

108 A SILVER BRAND. ered a yacht on the other side of the island, and recog- nized its pennant as that of one of his club rivals. ‘““*« Hurrah! there’s Avery, as sure as fate!’ he ex- claimed, starting up eagerly, all his languor vanished. ‘We'll have a race back, and I’ll show you some pretty tactics, too. The old fellow has gone ashore on the other side to an old boatman’s cabin. I know what it’s for. It’s a stupid long walk, but I don’t mind if J can coax Avery to try a race back. Do you stay here, and do the best you can until I come back.’ ‘‘T acquiesced and stretched myself out for a siesta. But somehow sleep forsook me the moment I made prepar- ations for it, and presently, the sun coming up over the rocks and beating down raher warmly, I took up the oar and sculled slowly toward a cool, shady inlet beyond. But when I had reached a satisfactory mooring-place there something drew me still further. I did not drop my anchor, but lazily pushed the tiny craft along though the i cool crystal that seemed to part for me sleepily, until I . found what something seemed to assure me was waiting— an adventure.” “ There came a soft glitter to his eye, a languid smile to his lips. The dreamy look on his face showed that he had forgotten his companion, and had gone back to the distant place and memory. “Well,” exclaimed Lady Theresa, impatiently, after she had waited ten minutes for the story to be resumed, “you found Amphitrite, or Undine, or—what?” _ He gave a little start, and came back to the present. “T beg your pardon for falling again into reverie. I was reviewing the rather singular circumstances. I found a young girl sitting upon a flat rock, with the water splash- ing all around it, cutting it off from shore. She seemed very busily occupied, and was either indifferent to or un- conscious of her isolation from land. Some sort of. port- folio was lying in her lap, on which lay a sheet of drawing- paper, upon which she was busily at work. I had made no noise in my approach, and I held the boat stationary, and watched her.” ; ~ With admiration, of course,” interrupted his nobly- born listener, with just a perceptible curl of her red lip. ~ Yes, certainly, with admiration,” was his hasty return. “T remember, at the time, I said to myself she made the most beautiful picture I had ever seen off of canvas—her form was of such graceful lightness, her features so sym- metrical, the coloring so delicately blended,” ~ (Ele) comicboo <5)