The Argosy — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

The Missing Rubies. 169 And then followed the story of the missing necklace, told in Colonel Lindrick’s brief, effective style. Such a tale, narrated in such a manner, could have but one effect on a man who had already resolved that Beatrice should have no husband who was not of his choosing. , . ‘Miss Ward is young, even for her nineteen years,” ended the Colonel, in a kindly voice. ‘She has never seen anything of the world. Is it any wonder that she believes implicity in the first man who makes love to her?” ‘ She will have to give him up,” said Mr. Redburn, shortly. ‘I won't look on and let her make a fool of herself.” “Tt will not be easy to influence her. She is as high-spirited as she is beautiful. I have never seen a girl I admire so much. By George, if I were thirty years younger, I would go in for her myself!” “T wish to heaven that you were thirty years younger! It would take a great deal to make me cast off poor Ward’s daughter, after having made up my mind to adopt her. But I swear to you, Lindrick, that not one shilling of mine shall ever go to a man with. a stained name! Her father, poor fellow, would have soon put a stop to this affair if he had lived.” “TI can only hope that she will listen to reason. Poor Alma’s words had no weight with her at all,” said the Colonel, shaking his head. “She ought to have frankly told me that she had a lover,” mut- tered the old man, fretfully. ‘Her father’s oldest friend and repre- sentative was to be kept in the dark, it seems! The Miltons have not done their duty. They must have looked after her very badly.” “Don't say that to her, Redburn. If you do, she will be as hard to move as a rock. Why, she simply worships that woman who was her governess | Alma says that Mrs. Milton’s influence is unbounded. It is a pity, a great pity, that she has not had another kind of training.” F These words added fuel to the flame of Mr. Redburn’s wrath. He was already jealous of Beatrice’s attachment to Harriet. His was the ungovernable, unreasoning jealousy of the autocrat who wants to order all things with an omnipotent hand and hates the shadow of a rival power. Living for years in almost kingly style among a conquered people, he had yet to learn that it was possible for his commands to be disobeyed. “T shall not let the child take her own way unchecked!” he cried. ‘I shall say just the things that ought to be said! Bless my soul, Lindrick, do you suppose I am going to be silenced by a Miss in her teens? Eh? What? Upon my soul! It’s monstrous, sir; monstrous. The whole thing is brought about by the devilish mismanagement of those Miltons! And I’m not to mention them, I suppose? I’m to hold my tongue out of deference to my lady ? comicbooks.com—