A Silver Brand — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

74 : A SILVER BRAND. about me, Nat, anything that you are afraid to have .me know?” Penelope turned a leaf in the book, and seemed to be reading on in that same wrapt fashion, but under the lowered lid, her eyes glimmered fiercely, and every faculty was merged in that of listening. Nat’s answer came slowly, and in an emphatic tone. : ~“No, Humming Bird, I have not heard anything new beyond what you have just told me. If I were you I would not torment myself by thmking there is anything to be discovered.” g “How can I help it, when they are always hinting at some startling development?” she returned. “They? you mean your relatives?” “T suppose so, though I question, often enough, if they have a drop of kindred blood in their veins. If it were not for Auntie Pen——” She stopped short, struck with consternation at the recollection of Penelope’s presence. Both turned instantly to look at her, but she neither moved nor spoke. The next instant, however, she sprang up and turned toward them a look of alarm, exclaim- ing: “Some one is coming. A stranger has just crossed the window.” Nat turned to the door, but before he reached it, it was flung open, and a gentleman, a young and handsome one, crossed hastily to his side, saying swiftly, in a foreign tongue: -“And so I find you at last—you strange old fellow! By Jupiter! you are odder than this odd country you have chosen. Didn’t vou get my letter, telling you I had arrived, that you left me to track you along like aspy? I thought——” And here he came to an abrupt pause, for step- ping farther into the room, he discovered Lina standing there, with her bright, interested face look- ing forth from under the jaunty hat, on whose brim perched the little feathered jewel. There went a rapid and eloquent change across the handsome face. The hat came off, with a swift Movement, and the gentleman bowed gracefully, cComicbooks (ee) wid : : : PTAs) Aes ff a ; ie ie ies: A ee