The Opposite House: A Novel — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

208 The Opposite House. An old monastery had been transformed into a hospital, which sheltered in its cells and halls the hapless victims of the dearly-bought victories, which daily brought more sufferers tothe House of Mercy. Traugott lay in a small room on the ground floor, with a Prussian infantry captain. The third com- panion was the French cuirassier, who became more and more warmly attached to his German neighbor. There was a peculiar charm in approaching with self- sacrificing kindness and friendship the man with whom, a few weeks ago, he had a life-and-death struggle, and studying in his book of life many a noteworthy chapter which reflected the world in hues ever new. What triumph could have been ereater than that of making the enemy a friend for life ’ Gerrald had learned many incidents of the young Frenchman’s past, which contained a portion of the Parisian world, whose changeful scenes formed a piquant romance in the eyes of the grave German. Maurice de Gorey was the son of aristocratic parents, but having been orphaned at an early age and left in possession of a considerable fortune, he had enjoyed his youth to the full, fluttered through his Parisian Eden, and finally fell in love with a little dancer, far more deeply than he would ever admit. She flirted with him as she did with the rest of her admirers, laughed at him when he attempted to re- Comiclb©oks.€©