The Argosy — page 299: what you’re looking at

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

Anne. 283 “ No, don’t take the basin,” I said, asshe went to doso. “I'll finish picking the raspberries. What are they for?” “A pudding. Papa said he should like one.” “Why could not Sally pick them ? Country girls are used to the sun.” “Sally is busy. Papa bade her clear out that room where our boxes were put: we shall want all the rooms now. Oh, Johnny, I wish we had not left France! Those happy days will never come again.” Was the doctor going into his dotage? The question crossed my mind. It might never have occurred to me; but one day at Worcester Miss Dinah had asked it in my hearing, I felt very uncomfortable, could not think of anything soothing to say to Anne, and went on picking the raspberries, . “How many do you want? Are these enough?” “Yes,” she answered, looking at the lot. ‘I must fill the basin up. with currants.” We were bending over a currant-bush, Anne holding up a branch and I stripping it, when footsteps on the path close by made us both look up hastily. There stood Sir Robert Tenby. He stared at the distress on Anne’s face, which was too palpable to be concealed, and asked without ceremony what was amiss. It was the last feather that broke the camel’s back. These words from a stranger, and his evident concern, put the finishing touch to Anne’s state. She burst into more bitter tears than she had yet shed, and for a minute sobbed piteously. “Ts it any trouble that I can help you out of ?” asked Sir Robert, in the kindest tones, feeling, no doubt, as sorry as he looked. ‘Oh, my dear young lady, don’t give way like this !” Touched by his sympathy, her heart seemed to open to him : perhaps she had need of finding consolation somewhere. Drying her tears, Anne told her story simply : commenting on it as she had commented to me, “It is for my father’s sake that I grieve, sir; that I fear. I feel sure Mrs. Podd will not make him really happy.” “Well, well, we must hope for the best,” spoke Sir Robert, who looked a little astonished at hearing the nature of the grievance, and perhaps thought Anne’s distress more exaggerated than it need have been. ‘Dr. Lewis wrote to me last night about some alteration he wants to make in the garden ; I am come to speak to him of it.” “ Alteration in the garden!” mechanically repeated Anne. “I have heard nothing about it.” He passed into the house to the doctor. We picked on at the currants, and then took them into the kitchen. Anne sat down on a chair to strip them from the stalks. Presently we saw Sir Robert and the doctor at one end of the garden, the latter crewing boundaries mound a comer with his walking-stick. gle comicbooks.com