The Argosy — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

Fack's Niece. 17I danced together once or twice, but after his talk with Captain Carr, poor Jack had not ventured near Daisy. ‘I suppose I must call her Miss Douglas now,” he thought. ‘ Well, she’s a dear little soul, and Carr is to be envied.” Each time Daisy passed him she had a bright little nod and word for “ Uncle Jack,” till at last poor Jack, feeling sadly as if Ae were an impostor, could stand it no longer, but after a few words to Mrs. Allarton, saying he would like to see her alone in the morning, he slipped away to his own rooms. ‘* What can Captain Kerr have to say to me? I hope he does not really want to take Daisy off to Feltham,” said Mrs. Allarton to her husband. ‘I don’t suppose it’s anything very dreadful,” he answered. ‘‘ What a pretty girl she is, and dances like a fairy.” When, at a very early morning hour, Daisy bade ‘ Good-night,” or rather, ‘* Good-morning,” to Mrs. Allarton, she added: “ I never, never enjoyed myself so much ; but what became of Uncle Jack? I could not find him latterly, and did not see him dancing, and I wanted so much to say good-night, and to thank him for such a lovely day.—And oh! he does dance well—I would rather dance with him than with anyone.” Next morning Mrs. Allarton was surprised. to see Jack and Captain Carr appearing together ; the more so as the former had asked to see her alone, and the latter she only knew slightly, as he had been a good deal away from his regiment, on staff employment. But she liked what she did know of him, and greeted them both kindly, waiting to hear what they had to say. ‘Mrs. Allarton,” began Jack, “I asked to see you this morning, as something rather awkward has transpired. I1 had better tell you the story from the beginning. You know I have one sister, 39 ‘‘ Daisy’s mother—yes—I know,” murmured Mrs. Allarton. Jack coloured and continued. ‘* My sister is much older than J am, and married, when I was quite a boy, Archie Gaskell, They went to Australia, and for some time I heard occasionally from Mary, but gradually our correspondence ceased, and, having no . other near relations, I have quite lost sight of her for years. I knew Mary had children, but was immensely surprised, as you know, when my— Daisy—appeared the other night, and told me she was my niece, the daughter of my sister Mary. It never occurred to me it could be a mistake *‘ Now it is my turn to speak,” said Captain Carr. “TI, too, have a sister Mary, and she married a mining engineer, Charles Douglas, and went first to Australia, then to America. I hear from her now and then, and, in one of her last letters, she said something about the possibility of her little girl coming to England to visit friends. When I saw your young guest at the ball last night, her likeness to someone I knew struck me at once. I asked Kerr who she was, and he told COnmicloooel —_— SS (CO