The Opposite House: A Novel — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

The Opposite House. 159 down, mon amz,and spend a few hours pleasantly with me. It is very warm to-day, and one needs re- freshment.”’ She smiled most winningly and held out her hand. Wikke suddenly felt much warmer than he had outside in the sun, and protested, with almost blun- dering haste, that he should consider it an honor to bear his beautiful friend company. His time was entirely his own until eight o’clock ; then, of course, he would be engaged. Wikke had associated little with elegant women; with coquettish queens of the stage probably not at all ; sothe dancer’s charming manner fascinated him the more as, with easy familiarity, she leaned near his chair, gazing at him with mischievous eyes. Heloise could be bewitching when she chose, and now she exerted all her arts to bind her companion with the fetters in which even crowned heads had languished. She had long since discovered that he was not one of the favored children of Intellect, but merely a cunning sharper, who knew his trade very well, but in the presence of this alluring woman was like a raw youth, scarcely able to move his limbs. She had noticed that Brand had said nothing about the diamonds, because their value would be greater if not divided, and she also knew that Wikke was familiar with the assessor’s youthful experiences. CoOmiclbookks 5}