I Forbid the Banns! — page 335: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE DISADVANTAGES OF ELECTRIC LIGHT. 325 suppose that the laws of nature should be suspended in his favor ; so, while his toes remained among the rock work, his body was among the water lilies of the ornamental water. The-yell that came from Mr. Betstein the moment he perceived, with great sagacity, what must be the goal of his sudden race, brought several of Mme. Abed Nego’s guests from the palm house into the fern house. The electric light was quite powerful enough to show them the dripping figure of Mr. Betstein rising from the water lilies like a burlesque of Aphrodite, and taking good care to scramble up at the side farthest from where Charlie was standing. “Great Heavens! what have you been about ?”’ cried Charlton, who watched the efforts of Mr. Betstein to obtain a footing among the stones where the maidenhair ferns were growing. “ Bolice—get the bolice—ad attebted burder—dothing short of burder!”’ sobbed Mr. Betstein, and then ejected a piece of water lily (Vymphea alba, Linn.) from his mouth. “He slipped in, Charlton,” said Charlie. “I was pres- ent; I saw it all from the very first. Look here, you chap,” he called out across the water that was still swaying. “ Look here—this is Mr. Charlton who wishes to know how it came about. I have told him that you slipped in. You tell him so too when you have a spare moment. Now what do you say ?”’ | “It was ad accidet,” gurgled Mr. Betstein after a pause, when he had got rid of a fern frond (Scolopendrium vul- gare) that interfered with his articulation. ‘‘There,” said Charlie. ‘‘ He says it was an accident. So it was. Isawit. I’m going home. He had best do the same.”’ The fern house was now almost crowded, and the electric — light revealed the dilapidated figure that had once been COMMICGLYOOlKS (eC)