A Daughter of Maryland — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

SP RN ee tn peer ey a een aes eee eT Le ee em tae Th cee oom Tay Lm Or) i +e Bp The af a, ai % — = + ; ’ w” 5 t = 4 : ; 7 \. i ; . “ : ES . > S| te ™~ A DAUGHTER OF MARYLAND. 115 ‘*Whether it will or not I must insist upon my request. I can come and see you under no other condition, though I do not forget that I owe you a debt I can pay in no other way. Mr. Berners, you must throw off the lethargy that holds you down. Rise above this dream-life holding you to the unreal and impractical. Assert your manhood so as to rise over all disappointment. Now I have preached you my little sermon, are you prepared to give your promise?’’ He hesitated but a moment, when he replied in a firm tone: ‘*f am, on one condition. ’’ ‘* And that ?’’ ‘‘TIs that.I may call you by your given name, and that you will favor me in the same way. Is this asking too much of one I have known all of my life?’’ ““No. Now we have come to such a good understanding, I know we shall get along famously. First of all I want to tell you * bit of news. Maze returned to Sylvania this morning.’ ‘*Do you hail that as good news or bad ?’’ he asked. ‘*As good news, of course, for I prize Maze very highly.’’ ‘He made no reply to this, but she could not help wonder- ing to herself what was in his mind. She did not dare to continue the subject, and it was never broached by either of them again. Esten Berners had a run of slow fever, hastened no doubt by his adventure at the Lash, but the doctor declared it - had been lurking in his system for a long time. It was fortunate for him that Aurian fayored him with so much of her company, or the days must have passed tediously to him. The housekeeper was a colored woman but with none of the warm-hearted characteristics of her race, and the sick man would have~ suffered sadly for good care. Perhaps his father had all he could attend to about his © work. Be that as it may, he merely troubled himself to ask daily if it was not about time for him to get out of com ‘boo cS co mn