I Forbid the Banns! — page 318: what you’re looking at

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

308 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” another instance of the irresistible influence of heredity. people said—this was, of course, assuming that his ances- tors had been Persians. However this may be, he was cer- tainly fond of being in the midst of this illuminant. His gardens were ina blaze of it. In the great square vesti- bule it glittered among blocks of ice and huge palms, and in the supper rooms it twinkled among the festoons of roses brought bya special train from the Riviera. Mme. Abed Nego may originally have been a Persian, but she was now judicious, and insisted on having the indoor lights tinged with yellow, consequently her guests were not afraid to enter the most brightly illuminated of her drawing rooms, though complexions are becoming more evanescent every day. It was, however, in the greenhouses, which were reached through a corridor from one of the supper rooms, that the electric lights were allowed a chance of making the strong- est contrast of brilliancy and shadow. The greenhouses were a marvel of beauty. Many were about the extent of a whole block of buildings, and contained fountains, and ponds, with water lilies floating on their surface, and over- hung by great palms planted among rock work. Almost the first person on whom Bertha’s eyes rested on entering the room where the tumbler music was being pro- duced was Charlie Barham, the midshipman, looking as handsome and as bright as ever, as he chatted away to a statuesque girl, who now and again went so far as to smile at some of the terms with which he besprinkled his narrative. On seeing Bertha enter by the side of Charlton poor Charlie’s story was suddenly arrested, just when it was approaching a point of enormity that even a stranger could scarcely allow to pass unchallenged. His face became overcast for a moment, but then assumed an exaggerated look of resignation, as he hastened to meet Bertha and to clasp the hand which she stretched out to him. (EONMICLOOlKS EC)