I Forbid the Banns! — page 336: what you’re looking at

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

326 “IT FORBID THE BANNS!” Mr. Betstein. Some sympathy was expressed—mostly in a tongue that shunned sibilants—for the victim of the acci- dent; but from shadowy nooks came the sound of the human giggle, and from the palm house the sound of inhuman laughter. Mr. Betstein was compelled to walk through the midst of the groups who were in the palm house, and through those in the room beyond, and then through the rows of footmen, who overdid the solemnity that they assumed to an extent that made their expression more irritating than if they had laughed outright. Through all the pitiless electric light shone. The cheers of the crowd of loafers that greeted Mr. Betstein’s exit from the gates of Saxe-Coburg House to his hansom were heard distinctly within the mansion. | “You young rascal!” said Charlton to Charlie in a low tone, and with a suppressed laugh. ‘You know that you threw that poor man into the pond.” ‘My goodness! Didn't you hear him declare solemnly that it was an accident ?”’ asked Charlie. “If you mean - to call him a liar, just say so, and I'll let him know in the morning. You'll have to fight him then, not me.” “ Then you did fight him ?”’ ‘ ‘‘ Look here, Charlton,” said the midshipman, ‘“ You go home as soon as you can, and tell Mrs. Charlton that you came in here and found that little Jew with the big dia- mond stud—lI wish it was mine, I'd sell it—crawling like a sliny thing—don’t you forget the slimy thing—out of the pond; and say that you found me standing on the other side of the pond with my knuckles a bit barked, but nothing the worse; and, above all, don’t forget to say that the chap confessed that it was an accident.” _ “What do you mean by ail these instructions?” asked Charlton. ‘“ What do you mean by telling me to go home to my wife? Is she not here?” (CONMIE ICYOKS (E(0) m