Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 327: what you’re looking at

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

be willing to release me from the promise that I made ae the day that I brought her here,” he con- cluded, eagerly, and with heightened color. Her grace laughed softly. “If I do not, 1am pretty sure that you will perjure yourself and break it; so it would only be politic to win your praise for my leniency, and preserve your eonscience pure,” she playfully responded; then added, more seriously, ‘‘On the whole, my son, I. could not be better pleased than to have you make a daughter of Emelie Earlescourt the future Duchess of Jersey, and Hazel herself has become very dear to me during the few weeks of her stay with us. Go and win her if you can.” Lord Nelson bent and kissed his grandmother’s hand with reverent gratitude, while his face was flushed and his eyes shining with deep joy when he raised his head again. So it was with this conversation in remembrance that he had enticed Hazel away to the veranda after lunch, determined to put his fate to the test before her mother should bear her away to her future home in London. He found a cozy corner for her, where she would be shielded from the sun, and where the breeze would not strike her unpleasantly, and made her lie back in a lounging-chair where she could look out over the sea and watch the incoming steamer. | Then he drew a chair for himself near her, so that he could feast his eyes upon every changing expres- sion of her beautiful face. “Take your fill of the sea this afternoon, for you will soon leave it, Miss Gay—I beg pardon, Miss . How strange it sounds to address you