The Price He Paid — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

o8 LIVING IN REBELLION. “But on me, you think,” said Raven, sarcas- tically. “No, no; make your mind easy, child. It is only your poetic, moonlight natures which are exposed to these things. The nixies’ charm would utterly fail if tried on me.” They were standing close to the fountain’s edge. The water fell with a soft monotonous plash and ripple out of the stone shells down into the basin below. Suddenly a breezy gust diverted the course of the jet, dashing its spray in a sparkling shower at once over the baron and Gabrielle. The girl sprang back withacry. Raven stood quietly where he was. “That caught us both,” said he. “The nixies seem to be impartial in their favors. They stretch forth their dripping arms to friend and foe alike.” Gabrielle had retreated to the garden-seat, and was busy wiping the glittering drops from her dress with her handkerchief. His raillery irritated her beyond all telling, and yet she hardly knew what answer tomake. Had any one else so spoken to her, she would have found some gay repartee, would have turned the accident into a joke, and made it a pretext for merry banter. But now she could not do this. The baron’s jests were always caustic. It was irony at most which now and then gleamed in his face, and caused the wonted gravity of his features to relax. : With arapid movement he shook off the drops wherewith he, too, was plentifully besprinkled, and drew near the garden-seat in his turn, adding: “YT am sorry to ‘have to spoil your favorite spot, but, as regards the fountain, the edict has gone forth. You will have to make the best of it.” Gabrielle cast a sorrowful look atthe shining, falling water. Its dreamy murmur had possessed a mysterious attraction for her from the very first day. She was almost ready to cry, as she an- swered: | “TY know you do not care how your orders vex and distress other people, and that it is quite useless for me to ask a favor of you. You never listen to peti- tions of any sort.” Eomichooks: co