The Argosy — page 380: what you’re looking at

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

358 Watching on St. Mark's Eve. vane ae Apmi 2, “You must not work to-day, Monk. Squire Todhetley never allows it on Good Fnday.” He laughed pleasantly ; as much as to say, what Squire Todhetley allowed, or did not allow, was no concern of his ; and went briskly away across the lawn. And not once, during the short interview, had his eyes met mine. Wasn't it dull that afternoon! I took old Duffham’s physic, and drank the tea Hannah brought me, and was hot, and restless, and sick. Never a soul to talk to; never a book to read—my eyes and head ached too much for that; never a voice to be heard. Most of the servants were out; all of them, for what I knew, except Hannah; and I was fit to die of wearnness. At dusk I went up tothe nursery. Hannah was not there. The fire was raked—if you understand what that means, though it is generally applied only to kitchen fires in our county— which proved that she was off somewhere on a prolonged expedi- tion. Even old Hannah’s absence was a disappointment. I threw myself down on the faded sofa at the far end of the room, and, I suppose, went to sleep. For when I became alive again to outward things, Hannah was seated in one chair at the fire, cracking up the coal; Molly, the cook with the sharp tongue and red-brown eyes, in another. It was dark and late ; my head ached awfully, and I wished them and their clatter somewhere. They were talking of St. Mark’s Eve, and its popular superstition. Molly was telling a tale of the past, the beginning of which I had not heard. ““T can’t believe it,” exclaimed Hannah; “I can’t believe that the shadows come.” “Did ye ever watch for ’em, woman?” asked Molly, who had been born in the North. “No,” acknowledged Hannah. “Then how can ye speak of what ye don’t know? It is as true as that you and me be a-sitting here. Two foolish, sickly girls they was, both of ’em sweet upon the same young man. Leastways, he was sweet upon both of them, the deceiver, which comes to the same thing. My sister Becky was five-and-twenty that same year; she had a con- stant pain and a cough, which some said was windpipe and some said was liver. The other was Mary Clarkson, who was subject to swim- mings in the head and fnghtful dartings. Any way, they'd got no health to brag on, either of ’em, and they were just eat up with jea- lousy, the one of the other. Tom Town, he knew this; and he played ‘em off again’ each other nicely, little thinking what his own punishment was to be.” Hannah gently put the poker inside the bars to raise the coal, and some more light came out. Molly went on. “ Now, Hannah, you mustn't think bad of them two young women. COMIC OOOKS. EO mn _