The Argosy — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

28 Edina. “ Myself, perhaps.” The answer was given quietly and easily: but there was something in its tone that kept Charles from regarding it as a jest. “* You are not in debt, are you, Frank ?” he cried hastily. “Not that I know of.” “I declare, for the moment I thought you must be in earnest,” said Charles, relieved. ‘It is uncommonly strange what the fellow can want here?” Frank said no more. They paced about for some time, without their hats, in the bright moonlight, talking of other matters. In cross- ing the side path to the house, they met Jetty the carpenter coming away from it, a frail in his hand, out of which a saw was sticking upright. The man had been doing some repairs in-doors. “Jetty,” cried Charles, accosting him, and speaking upon impulse, “who is that man that lodges with you? The fellow with the great brown beard, who goes about in a suit of grey.” “T don’t know who he is, sir,” replied Jetty. ‘ He is a very quiet lodger and pays regular.” “‘ What is he down here for?” “ Well, I think it is for his health,” said Jetty. ‘He told us he had not been well for some time before he came to Grassmere.” “What is his name ?” “* And that I don’t know, sir ——” “ Not know his name?” interrupted Charles, impatiently. * Well, sir, I was going to say that I don’t know it from him. He is uncommonly close as to his own affairs: though he likes well - enough to hear about other people’s. As to his name he did not mention it when he first came in, and my sister said she did not like to ask him. But——” “T never heard of such a thing as not knowing a lodger’s name,” went on Charles, getting excited over it, while Frank stood by, in perfect silence. “Does the man get no letters?” “Yes, sir. But they don’t come to the house ; they are left at the post office in Grassmere, and he fetches them himself. The other moming, when Esther went into his parlour, he was reading one of these letters, and the cover of it lay on the table, address upwards. She was not quick enough to read the name on it, for he took it up, but she saw it was a short name and began with a G.” “Mr. Grim, no doubt,” said Charles. “ ‘Mr. G——, Post Office, Grassmere.’? That was it, sir.” ‘I must say I should like to know who he is and what he is doing here,” concluded Charles. “ Good-night, Jetty.” Jetty gave an answering good-night, touched his cap, and went away with rapid strides. Drawing near to his home, he eacrerte the Tiger, sauntering along with slow steps. Ie comicbooks.com