In Search of an Unknown Race — page 255: what you’re looking at

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

VAN. 41 ‘‘Why, Don Carlos, old chappie—what’s come to your opal?” cried a beardless young fellow at his right, touching the ring as he spoke. A sudden pallor crossed Flores’s handsome features as he glanced at the valuable gem. For the heart of fire, which had shown out through the milky environ- ment, was no longer visible. Only a dull, opaque stone, without beauty or brilliancy, remained in the Setting. ‘‘Sure sign of bad luck, donchuknow,” remarked — young Goldwin, with tipsy gravity, as all eyes were bent upon the ring. ‘‘ Guess the beu’ful Miss—Miss Briscoe’s thrown you over—eh, ol’ fellow?” Amid the chorus of laughter following this gentle- manly suggestion, no one noticed that the door behind the tall Japanese screen had been opened by a grinning waiter, who, pocketing a shining coin, silently ad- mitted some one, and softly closed the door again. ‘‘Well,” returned Flores, nervously recovering him- self, as the laughter died away, ‘‘we're all friends here, so I don’t mind telling you that nothing so bad as my friend Goldwin suggests has happened. In fact,” he continued, boastfully, ‘‘that my chances in that quarter are as good as they ever were, and the young lady herself is ready to say yes when Ks ‘‘Flores, that is false} ” The unexpected interruption came from Van Briscoe, who as he spoke, stepped quickly from behind the screen and confronted the astonished company. EOmichboo “S (Eo)