The Argosy — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

176 Anne Hereford. Tus Axcosy. named two or three persons whom she should wish to attend her funeral, Mr. Gregg being one of them. Saturday again, and another funeral! Ever since, even to this hour, Saturdays and funerals have been connected together in my impres- sionable mind, I had a pleasant dream early that morning. I saw Selina in bright white robes, looking peacefully happy, saying that her sins had been washed away by Jesus Chnist, the Redeemer. I had sobbed myself to sleep, hoping that they had. It was fixed for twelve o'clock this time. The long procession, longer than the other one had been, wound down the avenue. Mr. Edwin Barley went in a coach by himself; perhaps he did not like to be seen grieving ; and three or four coaches followed it. There was not a dry eye amidst the household—us who were left at home—with the excep- tion of Charlotte Delves. I did not see her weep at all, then or pre- viously. The narrow crape tucks on her gown were exchanged for wide ones, and some black love-nbbon mingled with her hair. I sobbed till they came back, sitting by myself in the dining-room. It was the very room they filed into, those who entered. A formid- able array, in their sweeping scarves and hat-bands; too formidable for me to pass, and I shrunk into the far corner, between the sideboard and the dumb-waiter. But they began to leave again, only just saying good day in a low tone to Mr. Edwin Barley, and got into the coaches that waited. Mr. Gregg, the lawyer, remained, and Mr. Barley of the Oaks. ‘“‘Pardon me that I stay,” observed the lawyer to Mr. Edwin Barley ; “IT am but obeying the request of your late wife. She charged me, in the event of her death, to stay and read the will after the funeral.” “ The will !” echoed Mr. Edwin Barley. ‘‘She made a will just before she died. She gave me instructions for it privately ; though what her motives for keeping it a secret were, she did not state. It was executed on the day previous to her death.” ‘This is news to me,” observed Mr. Edwin Barley. ‘Do you hold the will ?” ‘No, I left it with her. You had better remain, my little girl,” the lawyer added to me, touching my arm with his black glove as I was essaying to quit the room. ‘The will concerns you. I asked your wife, sir, if I should take possession of it, but she preferred to keep it herself.” “T do not know where it can have been put, then,” returned Mr. Edwin Barley. ‘I have examined her desk and one or two of her drawers where she kept papers ; but I have found no will.” “Perhaps you did not look particularly for a will, not knowing she had made one, and so it may have escaped your notice, sir,” suggested the lawyer. ‘‘Pardon me; it was the precise thing I looked for. I heard of your visit to my wife; not, however, until after her death ; and it struck me comicaooks GO)