The Argosy — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

IIo Princess Eleanor. few moments fell heavily to the ground. His friends and the doctors hurried to assist him, whilst my seconds began to examine me. I felt an acute pain in my left shoulder, and the warm blood streaming out. The doctors bound up our wounds. Mine is but a slight hurt, and will scarcely require a few weeks to heal. Werdan’s wounds are more serious. What will become of me, friend? My life’s best hopes are destroyed ! Perhaps you are after all destined to be my only consolation. As soon 4s my wound permits of my leaving this room, I start for Italy. For ever yours, WALTER. XIX, Amy,—From a long, profound sleep I have awakened with a cry of horror! My dream, with its joys and its pangs, has faded with the _ returning light, and im its place has come a reality, whose brightest side even fills me with dismay. A vile act of fraud has been committed in our house. In the place of Rembrandt’s master-work hangs.a copy, exchanged by some guilty hand. I was present when the fraud was detected ; saw with my own eyes how Walter Impach turned pale at sight of the copy; heard with my own ears how he confessed it to be his work. I saw him look around the room for one face which promised support. I, too, for a moment believed that this man had outraged friendship and hospitality ; had betrayed all that is most sacred on earth; had stained his hand with crime. On my begging him to do so, Ernest ended the painful scene. My eyes followed the retiring figure of the artist. On the threshold he turned round, and gave me one look. Amy, his life, his soul, lay in that look. It was the cry of one unjustly condemned, whose noble heart made no other protestation but that single look. It had a magical effect upon me. I felt that heaven and earth might now combine to prove him guilty ; that all humanity might fill my ear with the most manifest evidence. I would have defied them all, and - believed that look. It had not only made me forever his stanchest advocate--no, I myself was Walter Impach! Why do I use so many words to tell you what I felt, when in three syllables I can say it better than in volumes? J love him! But not borne into the air by angel voices do those happy words sound for me. As the first peal of thunder of a coming storm they fall upon my heart. I fell as one dead to the ground. When I awoke from my fainting fit, Ernest was sitting by my side, his head bent lore, both ba hands clasped on mine. O! le comicbooks.com