I Forbid the Banns! — page 332: what you’re looking at

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

322 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” couples he strolled, but no shirt stud gave back the blaze of the electric light, as he knew Mr. Betstein’s would have done. | There was another greenhouse beyond this one; it was long, and it was arranged with banks and rockeries for such plants as required moisture. It was here that the orna- mental ponds with fountains and water lilies were situated. The electric light was laid along the ferns and mosses, and produced a charmingly subdued effect. Personally, Mr. Abed Nego was by no means fond of subdued effects ; but he was willing to humor those who were. _ The instant that Charlie opened the door leading to this retreat he perceived the blaze of a diamond shirt stud in the distance, and the peculiar articulation of Mr. Betstein came upon his ears. He had found the person for whom he had been searching. | Mr. Betstein was standing with two other men, who had also peculiarities of utterance, one speaking with a lisp, and the other with that German accent which has its origin in Hamburg. All were smoking cigarettes and exchanging remarks on some subject that seemed to be of general interest. Charlie walked round the longest of the ponds until he got in the shadow of the bank beside which the group was standing. ‘““My boy,” one of the three was saying, “you have no discretion. You treat all ladies alike. That’s how you find yourself in scrapes.” “You're wrog there, Bordecai, old bad,” came the voice of Mr. Betstein. ‘I treat all ladies of wud class alike, ad all of adother class alike ; I ab do fool.”’ “That’s true enough,” remarked the other. ‘ But fora man that’s no fool you find yourself in a good many close things.” He pronounced the words “ yourthelf”’ and “ cloth.” Gomichooks (€(0)