I Forbid the Banns! — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

386 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” She handed him a letter and he read it. SIR t ‘‘Tn reply to your favor of the 13th inst., I beg to say that two berths have been secured for Miss Lancaster and maid aboard our steamship Pango Pango, which leaves Utterport for Adelaide, Sydney, and Mel- bourne on Thursday the 17th inst. | ‘* T have the honor to be, sir, ‘Yours respectfully, ‘‘Per pro, the Antipodean Steamship Co. (Ltd.), fad gd Bat Ss ‘Great Heavens!” cried Julian. ‘To-day is Thursday, the 17th. The steamer has sailed from Utterport. This letter was written on the rsth. Why did you not bring it to me yesterday ?”’ “T had not got it myself, Mr. Charlton,” said Mrs. Hardy. “Eric is in the country. You know that Bertha bought a large farm for him.” | “T heard nothing of this.”’ “That is rather strange. Oh, I recollect, she said to me that you had taken a dislike to Eric, and that you had told her that she might give him any money she wished, pro- vided that she did not mention his name. Oh, yes; this is the letter I received from him inclosing the one you have. Yes, he says, ‘I got the inclosed to-day ’—that was yester- day—‘and I think you had better post it to Charlton. It will relieve his mind. I don’t care about him personally ; but still I have a heart and——’”’ ‘“What if the steamer may be delayed at Utterport ?”’ shouted Julian. ‘I may still be in time.”’ He made a rush for the door and returned in a few moments with an open railway guide. “There is a train at 5.10,”’ he cried. ‘‘CanI reach the station in sixteen minutes? By Heavens, I’ll try. I'll take your hansom, Mrs. Hardy.” Not a word could Mrs. Hardy utter. She watched him Eomichdooksico