A Silver Brand — page 175: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. - ex 167 thrust between the hazel boughs, but to the group around the wreck it was invisible. , The flunkies, however, speedily dropped their pompous manner and both rushed back to the hedge, ejaculating together : | Fi} “There is no lady, your lordship. The man-is alone, and he isn’t hurt at all, and the balloon is torn to pieces.” “No woman? why, I’d swear I saw a pale face, and a pretty one, over the edge of the car. Ho, ho, your high- ness, here’s a pretty go! Which of us has lost the bet? If there’s no woman at all she can’t be old and «ugly, nor young and pretty. It’s adused shame to lose that club supper in such away. But I’ve won on the man; he’s alive and on his feet—the better for him- and for me, too.” And with a heartless laugh he turned and went back to 2 the coach. “And that is your Count Schrodter, is it?” queried the | ceronaut, looking up-with an indignant flash of the eyes. “Yes, sirrah, that is Count Sebastian Schrodter.” “He is a fine specimen of German nobility, a very fine specimen,” pursued the eronaut. “It was quite an enter taihment, it seems, for him and his royal guest—like a horse-race or a rowing-match, and they had their chance for betting on the result, while my balloon was dropping down threatening to mangle and kill a fellow-being, and a countryman, and a lady also, according to their expecta- tions. It wasa kindly thing for them to’send to’see if I was dead or alive—to settle the bet!” | The stinging’ sarcasm of this speech was not wholly lost upon the Schrodter menials, dull and, shallow as they were. : “Humph!” muttered one, “you’rea stranger in these parts, or you’d know the Count Sebastian thinks no more of a peasant’s life than of a sick dog’s. Little enough he’d care if your skull had smashed with the balloon, he or the prince either.” : And as he said the last word the lackey hurried after his comrade. . | The seronaut waited until they had disappeared, and he heard the rolling wheels of. the departing coach before he turned away his indignant eyes. “T wouldn’t mind about the count,” he muttered; “the Schrodters had an evil name always. But to think of,the royal prince, he that is to be our king; it’s hard to keep one’s loyalty to such rulers.” Then assuming amore cheerful look, he went back to comicboo as <S (Efe)