The Argosy — page 205: what you’re looking at

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

19 A MARRIAGE FROM THE STAGE. “ No that we are comfortably seated round the fire, our poet and critic, Mr. Smith, will give us his edition of Mrs. Raughan’s story. You are wanting to hear it I am sure, if anything may be judged from the attention you give to her portrait over the piano,” said our hostess. I had indeed been looking with unusual interest at the picture to which Mrs, Fitzgerald referred. It represented a dark woman in Greek dress, whose black waving hair fell low over her brow, contrasting strangely with the pallor of her face. Bending slightly forward, she was clasping her hands upon her knees in the attitude of a listener. Owing to their expression, her eyes struck me more than any other feature in the beautiful face before me. They were neither very large nor very bright, but I have rarely seen command and beseeching united in one glance as I saw them there. The picture seemed to be the embodiment of some idea, some legend or story I had read. The face was too spirituelle for a Sappho, and too pensive for a Muse of Tragedy, but as I turned away at the bidding of our hostess my thoughts flew back to that old tale of “La Belle Dame sans Merci.” I took my seat in the circle round the fire, where I could glance now and then at the fair Italian, and observe how she took this blazoning abroad of her unhappy secrets. ‘She will have justice from me,” I thought as I turned my eyes upon the so-called poet, who, with a confident smile, was drawing a small MS. from his pocket. “Much of what I relate,” began Smith, ‘ was gathered from the gossip of the old housekeeper who was in the service of the Raughans. A small pocket-book, carefully preserved among the family archives, and which contains some letters and notes belonging to Gabriel di Vilna, has furnished me with important facts; but I had to do more than merely gather these facts together. As I had promised to put the whole into shape as a complete story, I found it necessary to imagine much that might and indeed must have passed through the minds of the principal actors in this tragedy.” Here Smith unfolded his MS. and solemnly began, and I glanced up at Mrs. Raughan, who seemed to look reproachfully down on us as she listened to her own history. The Honourable Mrs. Arthur Raughan, born Claudia Lorelli, was well known in Florence before her marriage as a successful opera singer. I need scarcely describe to you her remarkable beauty ; her picture is before you, and words of mine would not add to its effect. Unlike most actresses, Claudia was not easy to know. Proud and reserved towards strangers, she dreaded that impertinent interference comicbooks.com