I Forbid the Banns! — page 356: what you’re looking at

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

346 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” ‘Tt is Paradise,” she murmured. “Tt is—it is,” he said, seating himself slowly by her side. It was not a particularly capacious divan. ‘“‘ Paradise,” he continued. ‘ Paradise. Yes—down to the forbidden fruit.” A ripple of laughter as low as that which makes the peb- bles whisper “ hush” by the moonlight on the strand the ripples love to kiss. ‘‘ And the tempter,’ she murmured. ‘Not I—not I,” he said. ‘I am the tempted.” “Not you, Mr. Charlton,” she cried, with another ripple of laughter. “ Heaven knows,” he murmured. ‘ What were our words . together before we parted last night?” ‘‘ Heaven knows ; I have forgotten.’ “T have not.”’ “ Better forget; Ihave made up my mind to forget them. If I had not I should not have allowed you to speak Lo me as a friend to-night.” “But you have allowed me.” “ But that subject is banned.” “ Why should it be banned ?”’ “Oh, you make me lose all patience with you,” she said ina louder tone. ‘The most beautiful woman in England —so a man remarked as your wife entered—the most beau- tiful woman in England is your wife.” “No,” he replied in the same tone; “I have no wife,” “ Mr. Charlton!” “T tell you what is the truth: I have no wife.” “You mean to tell me that you are a free man?” “T am a free man.” ‘‘T could not have believed it. I remembered how Mrs. —how—well, you cannot forget how everyone aboard the steamer believed that she was the daughter of a convict. I thought that she had only aimed at making a fool of Gomichbookssco m