The Argosy — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

24 Monsteur Silvain’s Secret. went blithely on his way humming his favourite air of ‘‘ Malbrouck.” Across the river, along the Boulevard to the Palais Royal, where he entered a florist’s shop and purchased, at a fancy price, a superb bouquet of hot-house roses. “ Roses in December—they are typical,” he thought, smiling to himself, as he watched the shopwoman enveloping this treasure in paper. ‘Typical of the love which blooms in life’s winter as well as its spring. Very good. I must remember to say that to mry sweet Renée.” After a stroll through the brilliantly-lighted arcades of the Palais, he turned towards home, which he reached shortly before four o’clock. “The ladies are in the salon,” Marthe told him, giving him an odd look which he did not notice ; ‘there is a visitor with them, a friend of Mademoiselle, who has just arrived.” “Very good,” he answered absently, scarcely hearing her in his preoccupation. The old bachelor’s cheeks were flushed, and his heart beat fast, - as he approached the door of the sitting-room. It was partly open, and as he paused, furtively adjusting his collar and cravat, he heard a sound of laughter within; Renée’s musical voice mingling with the deeper tones of a man. Surprised, he cautiously opened the door 2 little wider and looked in. On the hearth, opposite to him, stood Renée, flushed and radiant, looking up into the handsome bronzed face ot a tall, dark- eyed young fellow of three or four and twenty, who had imprisoned both her hands in his own, while his other arm, from which she was laughingly endeavouring to disengage herself, encircled her waist. “Let me go, sir; don’t you see that Madame Evrard looks quite scandalised?” she exclaimed, glancing at Madame Evrard, whose face expressed the most unqualified disapproval. “Tt is at you then, not at me!” he declared. ‘ Madame is naturally astonished that you should object to be respectfully saluted by your fiancé—so!” and suiting the action to the word, he bent and kissed her. The watcher started as if he had been struck, and hastily drawing back, before anyone had perceived his presence, turned from the door. Marthe, hearing his returning footsteps, came out from her little kitchen and looked at him in surprise. ‘‘Make my compliments to the ladies, and say that as they have a visitor I will not intrude this evening,” he said, and walked away. Safely locked into his own rooms, he stood for a moment looking vaguely round, like one waking from a dream, then, becoming con- scious of the roses in his hand, he flung them from him with a passionate ejaculation, and sitting down at the table, let his head fall on his folded arms, and cried like a child. comicbooks.com