A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

| A QUEER RACE. 129 out beef and beer. At any rate you look wonderfully strong and healthy, and Mr. Field tells me you are very long-lived. But you must remember that you have an ex- ceptionaily fine climate, and spend much of your time in the open air; that counts for a very great deal.” ‘* Yes,” she said, significantly, “‘ there are worse places to live in than the Fair Island; and though I should cer- tainly like to see England Here she paused, and I seized the opportunity to drop ahint that I should like to see England at no distant date, and to inquire whether I might reckon on her con- sent to my departure and her assistance in getting away. But she pretended not to hear (though her ears were as sharp as her cousin’s), and instead of answering, asked me to dine with her at the Queen’s House. “We are going to have some cock-fighting,” she said, ‘‘and afterward a dance. Our dances are, of course, very old-fashioned; but you will perhaps oblige me by teaching us some of the steps that are now the mode in England.” I bowed, and answered that I should be only too de- lighted to oblige her in that or any other way; but I was much put about by her refusal to grant my request (for that was what it amounted to). I saw that for some rea- son or other she was resolved not to let me go; and for the first time I begin to consider seriously whether it would not be possible to find a way of leaving the island without her knowledge, and in spite of her evident de- sire to detain me. ‘Though as ignorant as ever of our exact whereabouts, I had vathered from the records that we were ‘‘in the west,” and I felt sure that we were no very great distance from some part of the American con- tinent. When I entered my room at Mr. Field’s house, some three hours later, I found lying on my table a three-cor- nered note, on very rough paper, addressed in a sprawl- ing, schoolboy hand to ‘*‘ Mr. Erle.” It contained these words: ‘© Srr,—The Fair Island is not good for your Health, and your Presence is not desired. You may take ten Days to make your Arrangements for Departure; but if after the Expiration of that Time you are still here, you are as (E(O) AA C ool) Sj (€| @)