A Struggle for a Ring — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

A SHOCKED HUSBAND. 57 horror; she, whom he was secretly admiring, positively put her knife in her mouth; the action struck him dumb. Ailie, looking up with a smile, was struck with the dark- ening expression of his face. | ‘‘Vivian !” she cried, ‘‘is anything the matter?” ‘*No,” he replied, brusquely. ‘‘ Has anything vexed you?” she asked, wondering still more. | ‘‘YVes,” he replied; ‘‘you have. You should never put your knife in your mouth, Ailie; it is horrible, atrocious.” Her face burned deepest crimson. ‘‘Did I?” she said. ‘‘I am very sorry. I did not notice it.” ‘‘Do take care never to do such a thing again; it has shocked me,” he said, more gently. ‘‘T am very sorry,” she repeated ; ‘‘they were not very particular at the school at Heisengen; they did not pay much attention to our manners there.” ‘*But at home,” he said; ‘‘surely at home they did not allow such things ?” _ Ailie laughed. **At home!” she replied. ‘‘We never had what you would call a regular dinner.” He looked up in such utter wonder that she laughed again. ‘No regular dinner! Why, Ailie, what kind of home could it be?” ‘‘Ttis just as I told you,” she answered him. ‘‘Gen- tlemen who have lived as you have, have no idea of how the rest of the world lives. My father very often ate his dinner with his violin tucked under his arm, ready to go out and give lessons. My mother dined whenever the pupils gave her leisure; in fact, if it were not for the ? comicbooks m A : ¥ s ">. © °6