The Argosy — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

22 , Edina. humble station. ‘ What a fine beard !” she thought to herself. “ How smooth, and curly and silky it is |” ‘“‘I want to stay in this place for a few days,” continued he, “and am looking for lodgings. Perhaps yours would suit me.” Esther Jetty hastened to show the rooms. They were clean, com- fortable, and prettily furnished : and the rent was ten shillings per week. “It’s not too much, sir, at this season of the year when the summer's coming on,” she hastened to say, lest the amount should be objected to. “I always try to make my lodgers comfortable, and cook for them and wait on them well. The last I had—a sick young woman and her little girl—stayed here all the winter and spring: they only left three weeks ago.” The stranger's answer was to put down a sovereign. “ That’s the first week’s rent in advance,” said he. ‘‘ With the change you can get in a couple of mutton chops for mydinner. I shall not give you much trouble.” And he took possession of the rooms at once. As the days had gone on, only a few as yet, Esther Jetty found that his promise of not giving much trouble was true. She had never had a lodger who gave less. He lived very simply. His dinner generally consisted of two mutton chops; his other food chiefly of eggs and bread-and-butter. It was glorious weather; and he passed nearly all his time out of doors. Not a nook or corner of the immediate neighbourhood escaped his keen eye, his (as it seemed) insatiable inquisitiveness. He penetrated to the small dwelling houses, good and bad, asking questions of the inmates, making friends with them. He would stand by the half-hour together side by side with the out-door labourers, saying the land wanted this and that done to it, and demanding why it was not done. But, there could be no doubt that he was even more curious in regard to the Raynor family, and especially to its eldest son, than he was as to the land and its labourers: and the latter soon noticed that if by chance Charles Raynor came into sight, the stranger would stroll off, apparently without aim, towards him; and when Charles turned away, as he invariably did, the man followed in his wake at a distance. In short, it would seem that his chief business was to look in a surreptitious way after some of the inmates of Eagles’ Nest; and that his visitings.of the land and the cottages, and his consequent disparaging remarks thereupon, were probably but taken up to pass away the time. This opinion, however, grew upon people later, not at first. Easter week passed. On the following Sunday, the stranger went to church, and took up a place whence he had full view of the large square pew belonging to Eagles’ Nest. On Easter Sunday he had sat at the back of the church, out of sight. Major Raynor, Charles, Alice, and Frank were in the pew to-day, with the governess and little Kate: Mrs. Raynor was at home with Frank’s wife, then lyitg in her comicbooks.com