José — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

JOSE. 275 caravan been masters of our inclinations?’ he re- plied. “Here Iam struggling in the meshes of the mysterious being, destructible only at the forfeiture of love and happiness—at a loss for some way to | arrive at a decision with her. Yet why do you ask?” he added, observing the singular expression on Baumann’s face. “Did you observe the lady who just left the death-chamber?” replied Baumann; “did it not oc- cur to youas she stood cold and indifferent at the side of the young man who had scarcely become her husband, and turned wearily away, that surely love never, but some other influence had caused to be tied the knot that bound them together? Now, then, who do you imagine,” he continued, with a vigorous squeeze of his friend’s hand; “this young woman is? who, among all the rough-looking characters, and in this state of lonely seclusion, almost leads one to believe that she has been abducted, and forced to remain here—who, Green? But wait a moment!” he interrupted, visibly agitated, as Mc- Allister came toward them along the corridor. “I will first convince myself by another’s testimony that it is not hallucination.” He took a few steps to meet the overseer. “You will excuse a stranger who to-day fought side by side with vour men against the Indians, for putting a question,” he said, as McAllister regarded him with a sorrowful look in his eyes. He nodded his head in silence. “Has the lady of the house been longer than four or five weeks at this place?” “Tt is close upon that time since she arrived at the fort,” was the scarcely audible reply. “And can vou tell me her maiden name, sir?” asked Baumann, in a singular tone of voice. Gomichboo cS (E(0)