Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

74 | “T BELIEVE lM IN LOVE,” CHAPTER VIII. ‘‘? BELIEVE I’M IN LOVE.”’ The next morning at ten o’clock Arthur presented him- self at Mr. Clayton’s house to inquire after the health of the old gentleman. The butler told him that his master was better, and upon receiving this information, he was about to leave, when he heard a light footfall, and Miss Clayton entered the drawing-room. ‘‘Good-morning, Mr. Eldridge,’’ she said, offering him her cool, slim fingers, ‘‘I saw you from the window up stairs, where I was sitting with papa, ‘‘and I thought I would run down and tell you myself how very much im- proved he is. Doctor Gray says he is about out of danger now.”’ If he had thought her lovely yesterday, Arthur found her a hundred times more so this morning, in her loose sown of white flannel, belted in at the waist with a tas- seled silken cord. It gave the most bewitching glimpses of the slender, rounded neck, while a bunch of purple violets replaced the ones she had worn the day before. When he knew her better he found she was seldom without these fragrant flowers about her person winter or summer. He remained a quarter of an hour, chatting with her and went away charmed Her manners were as easy and grace- ful as those of a thorough paced woman of the world, and her voice—well, he thought he could listen to it always and never weary, so exquisitely modulated was it. “That is where a foreign education has the advantage COMMEMOOKS (EO