Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

34 “GOOD-BY, BEST AND KINDEST OF SISTERS,” only confided in me! What a fatal mistake, that I did not urge her. And now she has gone! What canI do? I must go after her at once, but where shall I search? This was written at nine o’clock, and it is now two—five hours ago! She may be miles away by this time. Oh, Florence, how could you be so cruel as to leave me alone? Whatam I to do? How can I bear it?’’ And overcome by the violence of her emotion, she sank to the floor. | In this state, Nora, aroused from her slumbers by the strange sounds underneath her, discovered her, and with difficulty persuaded her to return to her bed. For the next few days nobody was admitted to the Del- mar cottage, not even Mr. Veale, who considered that his services, above those of all others, were indispensable to the household. He would rap, rap on the gate, with such assurance that finally, on the fourth morning, an upper window was opened, and the neat cap and rosy cheeks of Nora, two shades brighter in hue than usual, owing to her excitement, appeared. She lost no time, either, in launch- ing forth her opinion of tradespeople generally who try to ‘‘noke their noses where it was plain to be seen they were not welcome,’’ and of him in particular, ending up with the stupefying query as to who he thought he was, so all- important, that he must break decent people’s doors down, trying to force an entrance? When anything in his line or anybody else’s was needed, she believed she was fully capa- ble of procuring it without such goings on. After which the window closed with a bang, and the crestfallen butcher ‘‘returned to his muttons’’ a sadder if not a wiser man. There was one person, however, who, after several pa- tient, repeated efforts, managed to gain admittance to the COMcooOokx<s.con