I Forbid the Banns! — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE VORACITY OF THE SHARK. 77 of the same type, respecting a man who was unfortunate enough to fall over the ship’s side one evening in Simon’s Bay. The body was not recovered for a week, and then it was found so incrusted with specimens of mollusks that the commodore was able to give an oyster supper to the flag Officers of the flying squadron that was in the bay. So great was the success of the entertainment that, when another man fell overboard from the flagship, the com- modore at once issued invitations for a supper that day week. ‘There was great consternation aboard the flagship, however, when the afternoon of that day arrived, and yet there was no sign of the oysters appearing. The com- modore was greatly, and,as Mr. Midshipman Barham thought, very reasonably, annoyed at the want of punctu- ality displayed in the matter ; but just as he had ordered a boat with drags to be cleared away, one of the men sang out, ‘ Oyster stall off port bow, sir,’ and, sure enough, there © were the materials for a supper, which Mr. Midshipman Barham at any rate had enjoyed thoroughly. It can easily be understood that so long as this brilliant raconteur was Sitting opposite Miss Lancaster, Mr. Charlton had no chance of talking to her either respecting the aspects of modern science or on any other topic. He saw, however, that she was amused at this audacious boy’s yarns, and he made no attempt to put ina word. He felt that as there was aconsiderable interval between tiffen and dinner, Fate would be particularly hard upon him if he failed to have at least an hour beside the girl. But he found that Charlie Barham was resolute in his determination to follow up the advantage which he had gained at tiffen ; for when Miss Lancaster came on deck, and seated herself in Charlton’s chair, the boy assured her that she was doing herself an injustice in sitting ina seat that was manifestly so far from comfortable. If she would but test the easiness of his chair, which he would have CONMMICLIOO|KS se)