A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

Se eeeansae A QUEER RACE. young fellows fought, how splendidly they captured the gap, you would know better. I really did very little.” ‘‘T give our young soldiers all the credit they deserve; et I am sure that but for the way in which you organized and led them we should not have won the victory. They all say so; I say so too, and I forbid you to contradict me. You have behaved splendidly, and I want to know what recompense we can offer you.” ‘¢ Recompense ?”’ “Yes; what shall be done to the man whom the queen delights to honor?’’—smiling. ‘* Let him go home.” The smile vanished, and was replaced by an angry frown. ‘Let him go home! You want to leave us, then?” ‘Don’t put it in that way, please. I shall be very, very sorry to leave you; but I have friends in England, and an old mother, who is a widow. Iam her only son, and if she thinks I am dead, it may bring her gray hair with sorrow to the grave. It is my duty to go home—if I can.” : | «And among these friends there is one perhaps dearer even than your mother?” 7 ‘*Not at all. ‘here is nobody else 1 care very much - about, or who cares much about me. _ I dare say all the others have pretty nearly forgotten me already.” “How would you go?” “If you would point out the position of the island on the map, and lend me the Sunflower and a few men, I think Bolsover and I could navigate her to some port where we should find vessels—possibly a steamer bound for England.” ‘¢ And you would never come back?” ‘That depends. I should be very sorry I should hope to come back—some time.” ““Some time?” | “1 mean that I am a poor man, and have my way to make in the world, and I might not be able to come back so soon as | could like.” | | Mab seemed much agitated. She rose from her chair, walked excitedly up and down the room, then returned and sat near me, at the head of the sofa. Ee ae ‘“t have a confession to make and a question to ask,” comicbooks.com I mean