A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE. 119 **t don’t know what you mean; but go on—I will fol- low,” was the answer. So a few lengths of the print were cut off, and we went into the saloon, which happened to be rather prettily decorated with painted panels and long mirrors. The Surprise und delight of Mab and her maidens were really comic, and amused me immensely. ‘They had never seen themselves full length before. Looking-glasses were not manufactured in Fair Island, the only mirror the queen possessed being a relic from the Santa Anna, about the size of her hand, and very much cracked, and a precious possession 16 was. She would not have exchanged it for its weight in diamonds. I thought they would never have done contemplating the reflection of their figures and faces, and the most mottled seemed to be quite as satisfied with their complexions as the comparatively fair. But nothing lasts forever, and after awhile we re- turned on deck and resumed our inspection of the cargo. What pleased most, after the silks, prints, and looking- glasses, were some pins and needles, which we found in a case of haberdashery; for albeit these articles were made on the island, they were of a rude and primitive sort. (jueen Mab was in a fever of delight, and when I asked her to do me the favor of accepting one of the long mur- rors (which, [ explained, could easily be taken out and put in a frame), she took both my hands in hers and said she would never, never be able to repay my kindness, a demonstration whicb, judging by their looks, did not al- together please some of those about her. Oh, I have forgotten all about the books!” she ex- claiimed, shortly afterward; ‘‘and they were what I most wanted to see. But you have so many wonderful things that Iam really quite bewildcred: Show me the books, please, Mr. Erle.” I said they were rather scattered about, and would re- s quire getting together, but if she would come again to the saloon I would show her some of them. So we went below a second time, and I fetched a number of books _ from my own berth and some of the other berths, and put them on the table. Among them were several boung volumes of the Graphic and the Mlustrated London News, Eomicbooks:com | =>)