The Argosy — page 355: what you’re looking at

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

339 LADY GRACE. BY MRS, HENRY WOOD, AUTHOR OF “EAST LYNNE.” _—j— CHAPTER XV. IN EATON PLACE. RICHARD MAUDE DYNEVOR, Doctor of Divinity, Canon and Sub-Dean of Oldchurch, was seated in his study at his sister’s house, Eaton Place, when two young men were shown into it. The sight of the first, Charles Baumgarten, was sufficient to make him spring to his feet, his very shoe buckles sparkling with wrath. “ Again!” he stuttered. ‘Do you dare appear in my presence to beard me with your insolence? But for the memory of your father, I would order my servants to put you forth.” ‘Why, you are more peppery than you used to be, Doctor,” cried a voice from behind Charles—that of Cyras; who had about as much reverence for a high-church dignitary as- for a native savage of his adopted land. The Canon stretched his stern, dark face round, to see whose bold voice might be thus addressing him. Charles spoke. ‘When I assured you I was not at the Haymarket Theatre the other night, sir, you might have trusted my word, after knowing me all these years. It was my brother who was there ; and Miss Dynevor was deceived by the resemblance.” The Sub-Dean gazed at both of them. “What is it you?” he exclaimed. ‘Come back to trouble England!” ‘*T am here to honour it and its natives with a visit: you amongst the rest,” cried the undaunted Cyras, as he shook the Sub-Dean’s re- luctant hand. ‘“ Glad to see you in robust health and voice, sir.” The reverend gentleman coughed. Cyras, years ago, had gone in and out of his house as one of his own boys, and been on the same familiar terms with him. He turned to Charles : “Then am I to understand that you were not at the theatre, Charles Baumgarten? She insisted that you were there most posi- tively, you know, and she did not allow me to doubt her assertion.” “To be there under the circumstances described would be very unlikely for me,” returned Charles. “I think you might have known, sir, that I was not capable of it.” Something like “Plague take her!” escaped the lips of the Canon. ‘*T’m sorry I offended Aunt Ann,” said Cyras. ‘I hear she looks upon my nodding to her as a personal insult. What if I Aad a lady upon my arm when I nodded? Aunt Ann never liked pretty comicbooks.conmr