Roxy Hastings — page 238: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS, 229 - Alf smiled significantly, and said, “Very well,” and Mr, T. said he should be delighted. “Shall I tell him the whole story ?” asked Laura. Saige a I take a nap. But make it brief for his sake.”’ “Shall I begin back at the—” “Oh, at the flood, of course. That’s the way you ladies always tell stories.” “Now don’t be a bear, Alf,” said Laura, tapping him with her fan, “but let me tell my story in my own way.” She did. She began at the beginning—in her father’s life- time, in his prosperous days, when her brother was first an encouraged suitor for the hand of Lucy Holden. Her voice was low and soft, at least for a railway voice, but it was Clear as a bell, and enough of its articulations reached the attentive ears of young Allard to give him the sub- stance of the whole strange story. How truly Alfred and Lucy had loved ; how cruelly they had been separated after his father’s changed fortunes had become known to the mercenary Mark Holden; how he had joined the army, been taken prisoner, been condemned to death, and how wonderfully he had escaped. All this she told succinctly, graphically, dwelling on nothing long, except upon the noble, generous, self-sacrificing Louis Hartley, who, by his counsel and aid, had saved her brother’s life at the imminent risk of his own. : She expressed her gratitude, her almost love for the un- known Louis in such a warm, earnest, womanly way that Tinkelpaugh did not seem to like it, and he looked away out of the window, instead vf looking into her eyes as he had steadily done before. Laura did not like this, for she feared that it evinced the want of true nobleness of character in her friend. But she went on. Lucy’s new engagement—her flight— her supposed death—her entire ignorance up to the present hour of Alfred’s escape from the gallows, all were told, together with the means by which they had so recently discovered the place of her retreat. ‘““We go now to seek her,” she added. ‘‘We know that she is, or was, a little more than a month ago, a governess in the family of a Mr. Allard, in the town which we are ap- proaching. But how to disclose to this dear, loving, faith- ful girl the news which we bring, or, rather, which I am to bring to her (for Alfred will not see her until I have pre- pared the way)—this is the problem before us, Can you give us any help?” ecom (@) DOOkKsS Eo im