I Forbid the Banns! — page 334: what you’re looking at

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

324 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” He lit another cigarette and began to hum an operatic air. Hewas a great patron of the lyric stage. “Mr. Betstein,” said Charlie, stalking round and facing the diamond stud, “I want to have afew words with you, if you please.” “Eh,” said Mr. Betstein, looking at him from head to foot. ‘* Who bay you be, bister?”’ “Tt doesn’t matter who Iam,”’ said Charlie. ‘ I want to know what it was you said to the lady who was foolish enough to go with you into that room off the corridor.” “Go to the devil,’ remarked Mr. Betstein with some flerceness. “T’ll do the nearest thing to it, for I’ll go for you, you infernal Jew,” said Charlie. ‘‘ Now look out for yourself.” Mr. Betstein may have looked out for himself, but he certainly failed to look out for Charlie. ‘The boy had done a good deal of fighting since he had commenced at six years of age. A good deal of promiscuous fighting can be done at intervals between the ages of six and seventeen, and Charlie Barham had lost no legitimate opportunity of practicing. He spared Mr. Betstein’s nose until Mr. Betstein had kicked him twice on the leg, and this so irritated him, that he gave up all idea of resisting the temptation the nose offered him. ‘That organ fared badly during the next few seconds, and also Mr. Betstein’s teeth, which were very white, and his eyes, which were very black. Then he caught Mr. Betstein by the back of his collar, and forced him with singular ease, when once he got him under way, down the greenhouse, until he was opposite the pond with the gold fish and the water lilies. Indeed he only loosed his hold when Mr. Betstein’s toes were suddenly arrested by the rock work on the margin of the pond. Now, asthe impetus given to the upper portion of Mr. Betstein’s body was not simultaneously arrested, it would be ridiculous to Gomichbooks (E(0)