The American Marquis by Nick Carter — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

THE AMERICAN MARQUIS. 73 ings, the poor artist, could not be recognized in the wealthy Honore Beaumartin, the Marquis d’Iberri? He looked in the mirror. Clinton Hastings’ face had been covered with along brown beard. | The Marquis d’Iberri had a face as smooth as a child’s. It was kept so by constant shaving. Had the beard been a mask, it could not have disguised him more. ‘No, he did not deceive himself; he was unrecognizable. Up and down -the room he paced, going over the same ground again and again, until the sound of the bell startled him from his unhappy dream. He hurried down stairs to find Grace anxiously waiting for him on the veranda. Usually it was he who waited for her. His face showed the perturbation of his mind, and Grace noticed it. All traces of his emotion died away ere he had fairly her. ‘‘Ig anything the matter, dear?” ‘‘ Nothing, darling—that is, nothing of any consequence, now that I have you by my side.” He looked fondly at her. ‘‘Do you know, Grace dear,” he said, a moment later, ‘that to me you are like one of the sirens in the fable; the sound of your voice so entrances me that I forget every- thing else but vou. <A little while ago I was very much troubled, but the moment you looked at me and said in reached her side, but the unwonted expression troubled — that sweet voice of yours, ‘Honore,’ I forgot all my | troubles.” ‘‘T am glad, dear, if I help you so. I hope it will always be the same.” | | ‘*Qh, it will, my darling, it will. How can it be other- wise? It is not only your voice. A touch of your little hand, a glance of your loving eye, the rustle of your gown even, anything by you or of you, acts like magic with me. _ “TT think,” he went on, with a loving smile, ‘that you must be my fate, I am so completely swallowed up in you. I think my soul lives in your body, and that you are my heaven.” : ‘¢ You do love me very much, do you not?” Comicbooks (E(0) m