The Argosy — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

104 Edina, “Yes, Iam listening; rutly at least; but I was deep in thought just then over ways and means,” replied Edina, arousing herself to her usual mental activity: ‘A furnished house would never do; it would be too costly ; and so, I fear, would be the hiring of furniture. Now and then, I believe, when a house is to be let, the furniture in it can be bought very cheaply.” “But if we have no money to buy it with, Edina?” ‘Of course: there’s the drawback. I should think the neighbourhood of London would be the best locality for a new school : the most likely one to produce scholars. Should not you, Mary ?” “Yes,” assented Mrs. Raynor with a sigh. “But you know all about these things so much better than I do, Edina.” The plans, and the capability of carrying them out, seemed to be, as yet, very indistinct ; but at length Edina proposed to go to London and look about her, and see if she could find any suitable place. Mrs. Raynor, always thankful that others should act for her, eagerly acqui- esced. Though, indeed, to get a house—or, rather, to get it full of fur- niture—appeared to be as a very castle-in-the-air. Chairs and tables will not drop from the skies: and Edina was setting her face most re- solutely against running into debt. ‘“‘ Now you understand,” Edina said, the morning of her departure, calling Charles and Mrs. Raynor to her, “that I shall depend upon you to arrange matters here. If I am to find a house for you in London, I may have too much to do to return here, and you must manage without me. Set about what has to be done at once, Charles : get the superfluous furniture out of the house, for sale ; and get your boxes packed, ready to come up. You must be out of Eagles’ Nest as soon as you possibly can; on account of the heavy expenses still going on while you are in it. Mr. George Atkinson allowed a month: I should quit it in a tithe of the time. Besides that, Mary: you should be on the new spot to begin school before the midsummer holidays are over ; it will give you a better chance of pupils.” They agreed to all: Charles rather dumpishly, Mrs. Raynor in simple confidence: anything suggested by Edina was sure to be for the best. It was impossible for Charles to rise up yet from the blow. With him, the aspect of things, instead of growing brighter, grew darker. Each morning, as it arose, was only more gloomy than the past one. A terrible wrong had been dealt out to him—whether by fate, or by that defunct unjust woman, his Aunt Ann, or by George Atkinson, he could not quite decide, perhaps by all three combined —and he felt at wrongs with the whole world. Edina had talked to him of plans for himself, but Charles did not hear her with any patience. Looking upon the present and the past to contrast them, drove him half mad. That he must do something, he knew quite well, and he intehded to do it: but he did not know what that something was to comicbooks.com