The Argosy — page 309: what you’re looking at

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

286 A Marriage in the Dark. ‘“T don’t quite know what you mean by that, doctor,” said I. “Well,” he answered, after a second’s hesitation, ‘‘ you must forgive me if I confess frankly that I was thinking of yourself, Miss Urquhart.” “Of me!” I ejaculated, too much astonished to be coherent. Surely you are joking.” ‘* Do you really mean to say that you don’t know what you are like ? ” I reflected. I certainly did not know. I had, indeed, a general impression that I was painfully plain. Still, it was possible to be mistaken. Here was an opportunity of acquiring knowledge. ‘To neglect it might be unwise. ‘‘ It sounds very ridiculous, I daresay,” I answered slowly, ‘‘ but I am obliged to admit that I haven’t the slightest notion what I am like.” ‘“Tmpossible ! ” ‘* Kasily possible ; and in addition, quite true.” ‘Miss Urquhart,” said the doctor after a pause, to enable himself to grasp fully this stupendous fact: “‘ you are, indeed, a phenomenon; a rara avis among young ladies ; but such a state of things is abnormal and portentous. Let me do for you what I tried to do for the sun- set just now, and hold in my clumsy way the mirror up to nature. I will be your looking-glass—a most imperfect one—and tell you a little about yourself.” “‘T shall be delighted. That is if you will promise to be severely accurate and neither critical nor complimentary.” ‘TY will be the strictly impartial observer; and as I will nothing exaggerate so I will set down naught in malice.” ‘Very well—go on, then—imprimis.” ‘“Imprimis, you are tall.” ‘““T know it,” said I calmly; “ five feet seven.” ‘** You are aware of that ; very well. To particularise further: your hair is abundant and of an indescribable golden-brown colour; your forehead good, intellectually speaking ; artistically—here the impartial observer asserts himself—it may be, perhaps, a thought too high; a defect, if it be a defect, which is corrected by the natural wave of the hair. Eye-brows well-defined and mathematically arched. As for the eyes themselves, they are large, bright, and of a clear hazel. Except for a far away look, which tells us doctors a good deal, no one would imagine that you had not—well, the perfect use of them. They are shaded by long lashes, nose straight, and delicately chiselled ; mouth —— ” ‘‘ Pray spare me further details and get on at once to the general effect.” ‘Now, I call that unreasonable. You can no more get a general effect without details than you can make a wall without bricks. However, I will be as brief as possible. To proceed, then: your chin, Miss Urquhart, I speak as impartially as I can, is—well, perfect. There is in the centre of it a very effective dimple.” CORMIECLIOOKS.€©) m