Alfred de Rosann — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

ALFRED DE ROSANN. 93 of dinner brought her father from his office; and ina : trembling voice she inquired, if he had seen M. De Rosann? The banker answered in the affirmative, adding, that the quarrel with Mr. Markham would most probably lead to no disagreeable consequences, and that particular business alone prevented our hero from calling on Mrs. and the Misses Robson in the course of the day. Selina felt somewhat relieved by these assurances; but she still saw the probability of a duel, and in vain essayed to banish her unpleasant ideas entirely from her imagination. As early as five o’clock on the following morning, did Mr. Robson knock at the door of De Rosann’s bed-chamber. Our hero was already dressed, and about to sit down to breakfast. He welcomed the banker with the utmost cordiality, and was surprised to see that no one accompanied him. But before he had*time to Inquire the reason, a gentleman made his appearance at the top of the stairs, and was instantly recognised by Mr. Robson as the intended second. He was accordingly introduced to De Rosann, to whom he expressed his sorrow, at acquiring the ho- nour of Alfred’s acquaintance, under circumstances so peculiarly disagreeable; he however declared his will- ingness to assist our hero to the utmost of his ability, as a hostile meeting was apparently unavoidable. Mr. Herbert—for that was the gentleman’s name—spoke French with tolerable fluency: and it was chiefly on this account that he had been requested by Mr. Rob- son to act as De Rosann’s friend on the occasion. To the astonishment of both the banker and Mr. Herbert, neither of whom could touch a morsel, De Rosann ate with a prodigious appetite; and when Mr, Robson was no longer able to contain his astonishment at such an extraordinary instance of sang froid, the young man coolly observed, “that he did not dare venture to encounter the chilly atmosphere with an empty stomach.”? A smile of satisfaction played upon the countenance of Mr. Herbert, as our hero made this Gomuichbook (E©)