A Silver Brand — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. 131 Nat retreated a step, but watched her closely. What great misery throbbed in that woman’s passionate heart? How much he would have given for a magic talisman to enable him to read for those few moments everyrthought that burned and stung the tortured brain. ‘“Well!” said he, at length, breaking a prolonged silence. She turned, with a dreary smile, which, however, the taxidermist lost, for he had started, and turned his head toward the water to listen more attentively. “T thought I heard a cry, or a call,” he said. All was quiet and still, except that over the cliffs on the other sidé, some fisherman was whistling merrily, and the breeze from that direction brought the sound to them. From the beach below only the deadened: beat of the waves murmured faintly, the wind carrying off other sounds with it instead of bringing them back tothem. Nat did not at the time realize this, and turning to his companion, he resumed the conversation. “Perhaps I ought not to push you to a hasty decision,” _he said, “but it is important that no time is to be lost if we are to make any effort to interrupt the course of events planned yonder across the ocean.. I know that some new consideration has induced him to hurry the girl’s return. I should not be surprised if the next steamer brought an agent to escort her back. Once there he has all the power, and unlimited means. Are you willing, after what I have shown you, to send her away to him?” : “Tf I knew—if I could imagine what interest you have in this matter?” she cried, anxiously. “T have told you more than once—my love for Lina.” “But you know the old circumstances—you called names!” she ventured. “Well! I knew and loved Konrad Darn once. If there were no other reason than to avenge his wrongs, I admit, it would be enough to urge me to thwart this cruel plan.” She put out her hand imulsively. “T will trust you !—yes, I will trust you !” “Thank you. I believe from the depths of my heart that you will rejoice at this decision of yours, let what may come out of it.” “Let what may come out of it!” she repeated, drearily, ‘‘and that, at its best, will be woe, and weariness, and humiliation enough.” ‘¢And now for your plan of action,” said Nat, eagerly. “Nay; not yet. I must have time to look at the whole subject,” returned she, decisively. “It will be too hard cComicboo 5) (Elo)