The Argosy — page 387: what you’re looking at

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

The Village Blacksmith. 369 every inquiry here. We may learn something at the station; and perhaps I may get more out of Mark if there is more to be got. But I have very little doubt you will find Janet at your house when you get home,” said the Rector, secretly anxious to be nid of his unwelcome guest. As this seemed the best course to pursue, Mrs. Canter agreed to it. She learnt at the station that Janet had arrived the previous even- ing, but had not been seen since; therefore she was not surprised on getting home to find Janet was not there. Mary Jane and the children were safe, and a washerwoman was superintending the drying of the clothes; but no Janet had been seen that day. Mrs. Canter went back to the post-office and telegraphed to Mr. Tempest, and then she put off her best things, and did sad work among Mary Jane’s flower-beds as she made up for the shortcomings in the work of her substitute, who, she averred, had as much idea of drying clothes as Janet’s baby had of washing them. Mr. Ryot Tempest received the telegram about four o’clock that afternoon, but by that time he was in a position to enlighten Mrs. Canter as to Janet’s whereabouts. CHAPTER XV. AN INFANT CRYING IN THE NIGHT. JANET woke about half-an-hour after Reuben had stolen her baby from her. On waking, her first thought was for her child. Her arm, which had held it when she went to sleep, was empty ; and, seized with a panic lest she had smothered it—a panic common to all young mothers—she started up and felt for it; felt in fear and trembling, dreading that her hands should come in contact witha little cold corpse. No, it was not under her. She breathed freer. She threw off the bed-clothes and felt all over the bed. It might have slipped down under the clothes, but it was not there. Then it occurred to her it must have fallen out of the bed. Oh! horror! it would cry if it were alive, and a death-like stillness was all around her. She jumped up, stepping carefully, and struck a light, though the room was almost light enough for her to see by the moon that her baby was not there. She searched in vain; there was no baby, dead or alive, to be found. Frightened as she was, her mother’s instinct gave her presence of mind, and, throwing a petticoat over her shoulders, she ran downstairs to her father’s room ; but, to her still greater horror, she found his bed was empty. She rushed into the kitchen; that, too, was empty. She flew back into Reuben’s room, and found his clothes were gone. She tried the front door, and found it was locked. Reuben, then, had dressed and gone out, locking the door behind VOL, XLVII. Zz ECOMRRIC OOO Ss (GO)