A Silver Brand — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. 109 “ And her dress,” was the true feminine demand, in a tone of peremptory eagerness, “was it silk or serge?” “Indeed, I don’t think I can tell you exactly. It was some sort of flowing white, with pink ribbons, or was it pink with a white mantle? But what matter for the material ?” | The lady shrugged her graceful shoulders. “Only that I wanted to know if the heroine was of high or low estate. Well, go on. She was wondrously beauti- ful, and you fell in love yt | ‘Did I?” laughed Aubrey; “your ladyship takes swift conclusion. Her beauty of feature was certainly the least of her charms. It was the fearless, naive, wild-bird man- ner that haunts and fascinates me still. She did not see me at first, you know, and worked away diligently at the drawing, pausing every moment to crest the graceful head backward and take a long and critical glance. Sometimes she nodded approval, and once she made a scarlet ring of her pretty mouth, and shook her head vehemently, filliping — her finger against the innocent pencil, as if the blame lay in that. , “TI stood in the boat, oar in hand, holding my breath almost, lest I should disturb her, and quite forgetting the awkwardness of being discovered at such eavesdropping. Finally the drawing was finished to her evident satisfac- tion. She held it up, and then laughed out. I shall not attempt to describe all I fancied -in that silvery gush of laughter. Analyze and describe for me what is in the wild bird’s carol, and you have a faint idea. “ «There !’ she exclaimed. ‘When my gallant prince comes the picture is ready for him.’ ‘‘And with these words she rose from her rocky perch, and for the first time looked downin my direction. Im- agine the situation, if you please. “There I was with my boat, oar in hand. I expecteda scream of dismay or alarm, a panic of bashful confusion, for she was scarcely beyond the earliest girlhood, and was. just about to assure her of my willingness to take hasty departure when she smiled upon me. Not boldly nor coquettishly, but warmly, frankly, with eagerness, and a bright flash went across the animated features. ‘“*Oh, indeed, you have already come and the drawing is - just finished. This is delightul,’ she exclaimed. ‘Upon which I pushed the boat toward the rock. | ‘¢¢Vou want me to set you on shore. The tide has come upon you,’ I ventured in my most respectful tone, com comicbooks