The Island Bride — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

2 CAST AWAY. Pa , . = roguishly, “T may add, that often, when I’ve been passing the closed door of your apartment, at night, Pve heard you pro- _ nouncing the name of Trust in your sleep, which, I take it, is aproof of the truth of the parson’s remark.” “ Never!” cried Miss Trundle, blushing deeply, “ you must » have been mistaken! ‘Oh, dear! What an idea. T—~” “Tt’s quite nat’ral, considering that you two are engaged,” ‘interrupted the skipper. “ I think—” “You are mistaken,” broke forth the parson, “ very much mistaken-—ahem ! Nothing of the kind was ever thought of by me, and [ may safely state that Miss Trundle—” “Oh, dear P’ interrupted the latter, “ you don’t mean to say, after you have given me so much encouragement—after you have lured me from the island—from the other ships, after you have bestowed upon me the many little attentions which are always so significant—oh ! how significant in the eyes of our sex—after all this, you don’t mean to—to—say that you in- tend to break off our—our—engagement ?” “There never was any engagement between us, madam,” said Trust, in a gentle but firm voice. “ never gave you any reason to suppose that I thought of—-of—making love to you. Being a married man, I—” Here Miss Trundle held up both hands and shrieked. “You a married man? Oh, dear! oh, dear! to think how I’ve been deceived by you! It is shocking—it is terrible! Oh! why—why didn’t you tell me this before? Yow a mar- ried man—oh, only to think—” “] believe I spoke of my wife to your niece on the first day of our meeting on board the East Pndiaman !” “But she said nothing to me about it!” cried the spinster, choking down a sob. “TI shall never get over this-——never ! Only to think that all those harmless little coquetries of mine have been thrown away—completely thrown away on this— this—-I had almost said——demon !” And with a heart-rending shriek, Miss Trundle fled into the cabin. | From that moment, she ceased to trouble the parson with her importunities. Learning, by some means or other, that Captain Landyard was a single man, she transferred her “ agreeable flatteries ” and delicate attentions to him. But the “ : COMICOOK<SsGO hil