Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

106 THE RESCUE. able to recover him, had they once gotten away with him.”’ ‘It was so courageous of you,’’ she murmured again, ‘fand I know Bebee would have died of grief away from me, ’’ Arthur raised his hat, as he might have done to any stranger, and continued his walk. How formal had been his tone! How indifferent his man- ner! He continued his way decidedly pleased with himself, for how was Miss Clayton to know that his heart was thumping against his ribs, in a manner quite unusual with that organ? He carried himself with more than his cus- tomary dignity and his tread was firmer than ever, but for some unaccountable reason when he looked up he found himself two blocks beyond the club. He retraced his steps and entered. The evening papers lay before him, and he elanced over them. There was probably the same amount of news in them as usual, and at any rate the financial col- umn was always interesting to him, but he scanned each sheet hurriedly and flung it aside, only to pick up another. All shared a common, ignoble fate; he could not fix his at- tention. Finally he ceased trying and relinquished himself to his thoughts. ‘Your mail-phaeton, sir, is at the door.’’ The order he had sent to his stable at noon had complete- ly escaped his mind until this reminder by one of the sery- ants. He started up for his hat and coat with alacrity. <A drive was just what he needed to ‘‘put him on earth’’ and chase away his vain reflections. Why, he mused, as he took his seat behind his high- stepping chestnuts, with their arched necks and shiny coats, should he be unfortunate enough to be denied the Gomicbooksreom