I Forbid the Banns! — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE ORIGIN OF A MAN. 25 now engaged in reading for an admiring circle of yawning girls the poem commencing "Tis done, but yesterday a king. It is a tolerably lengthy poem, but the youth droned it out to the very end. It was very fine, the girls declared. It was scarcely clearly understood that the verses referred to Napoleon Bonaparte. Some of the listeners had an idea that the author had, late in life, written a very clever play called “ Our Boys.” Others were under the impression that the verses referred to the late Emperor of the French. All were unanimous in pronouncing the poem very fine indeed ; and they sprang to their feet when it came to an end, and left the reader alone upon his deck chair. While the faint mumblings of the man at the ode mingled with the solemn response of the man at the wheel as the captain sang out his instructions, Cyril Southcote was smoking acigar with his back to the bulwarks of the ship and the bulwarks of the island. ‘For the first time,’’ said he, “I begin to realize the exact spirit in which the schoolboy who was asked ‘ What is an ode?’ replied ‘ Something that’s odious.’ ”’ “It is very funny,” said Miss Travers, who had long ago thought it prudent to forget that Mr. Southcote had offended her by reading her soul without first asking her permission. “Tt is very funny! Listen to the combination.” The elements of drollery were certainly to be noticed in the mingling of the lines of the poet and the litany of the pilot. The steamer was rounding a point while the reader was warming to his work. The result of a blending of the voices was somewhat droll. “Tt is very funny,” said Julian Charlton. ‘“ Are you - going ashore when we let go the anchor, Miss Travers ?”’ CORNIECLIOOKS (C0)