Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

. (A. } oe es the : J ¥ . : 7 “4 i” So ia ry wy : i P » + ae, wf Nae 46 | . hen chk yt de es PS “ary ‘ ~ . ° 4 ~~ m\ qT. . : “ing «a » a y . , ¥ re ae ears: fi ee Great ern. eyes, dark, deep- hitting. lit up this pale, girlish face—not beautiful yet, but full of the * serene promise of future beauty. Beautiful eyes—now black > Sl and sparkling, now soft and glowing with amber light, re- minding you of Balzac’s “Girl with the Golden Eyes.” With these’ wondrous brown eyes went a wondrous fall a g of. hazel hair, rippling, waving, shining, down to her slen- der waist—a glorious chevelwre that would have driven a _ fashionable belle wild with envy. She stood before him there, in the fire-light, so belehily pretty that it was a pleasure only to look at her. a oe “Her mother’s image,” old Peter Fisher thought, with a i little nervous tremor. “It is lke seeing the ghost of the dead. a : 5 es ~ “You sent for me, Uncle Fisher?” the ot ee in her fresh, young voice. “Judith told me you wanted to see me _ — very particularly.” : | , “And so I do. Come in, child, and shut the door. Take ee - that seat—I have something very important to say to you.” SS - The bright, brown eyes opened wide, and fixed themselves ee in a frank stare of astonishment on the seamed old face. ea anything of importance to say to her before. ee eh The old man shifted in his chairand leaned back farther Into the shadow, strangely uneasy under that clear gaze. ; er “Do you know how old_you are, Estella?” he asked. ee os “Why, yes, uncle; sixteen last March.” fi “Sixteen years and three months, and a young. ‘woman, = | ee _. Estella Mallory laughed—a clear, sweet laugh. _“T hope I-am nothing half so stupid. A young woman! How prim and dowdyish it sounds! One is only a girl at oe. ‘ sixteen. Time enough to be a young woman when one is ve ‘6 ert two-or-three-and-twenty.” “Pooh! nonsense! You’re as much of a woman ster tes as you'll ever be—a strong, well-grown girl. Plenty young Sie _ womien are married before they’re your age.” Bh tee Miss Mallory shrugged her graceful shoulders. 2a es _ “They must be in a hurry, uncle. If there’s one thing pat more stupid and dowdyish than being a ‘young woman,’ it | oe is ad e married. Is this what you sent for me to talk Meee oe dt was quite euident Mr. Fisher’s ward was not in the . least awe. of her grim guardian. And, indeed, you needed ey fearlessness was a characteristic of the eirl’s nature. i AE S tella,? ? said the old man, shifting his base, “aren’t you In all her sixteen years’ experience Mr. Fisher never had Z es | look onee into those bright, frank eyes to see that utter ‘ed eet wi is oan this m Sanely old seems 0 1 se dr sido