The Opposite House: A Novel — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

The Opposite louse. ph Traugott gazed at the speaker with a troubled expression : “Impossible. How could—” “You do not yet know the world, my young friend!” interrupted Brand, with a smile of superi- ority. “A young hot-head ‘tke yourself judges a picture solely by its colors. What you have hitherto seen of society consisted merely of illusions—masks, which dazzled by vivid contrasts. I have looked behind the scenes a long time, and found many a ragged bit of tinsel which, with the proper light, produced an admirable effect ; but, when the lamps were screwed down and by accident the bright sun- shine streamed in, the spell vanished, and all the impish faces appeared through the glitter. D—— is the focus of all sorts of gossip, and a young man like yourself, who stimulates curiosity and has at- tracted attention, turn and twist as he will, is, and always will be, the trial block on which everybody feels bound to inscribe something. Believe me, my dear Gerrald, that I mean honestly by you, and can judge of your position the better because I hear on all sides the most inconsiderate and varied opinions, and, therefore, formed my plan on them. That your sudaen disappearance was attributed to every possible and impossible motive and led to the wildest rumors, is a fact probably not unknown to yourself!” ComicbOoks.c© 5}