The Argosy — page 394: what you’re looking at

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

376 The Village Blacksmith. * At your lodge!” exclaimed Mr. Ryot Tempest, at once relieved and confounded : relieved to hear Janet was safe, confounded at the prospect of an interview with her which he foresaw was imminent. ‘Yes, but there is not the slightest occasion for you to see her,” interrupted Mrs. Jamieson, cleverly divining his thoughts. ‘‘ Write me a cheque for fifty pounds, give me Rex’s address, and I'll under- take to get her an outfit and send her out to him without troubling you at all in the matter. I mean to take my share of your troubles, you know,” she added, with her sweetest smile. ** You will be taking more than your share if you do that,” said Mr. Tempest, the cloud passing quite away under this genial influence. ‘ But Iam very much relieved to hear she is safe. I was terribly afraid something had happened last night; something so serious as, perhaps, even to have rendered the postponement of our marriage necessary.” ** And that was what made you look so miserable when you came in? Well, under the circumstances, I forgive you. There was nothing else, was there?” “ No—o,” said Mr. Tempest, deviating from the truth. ‘* Only I have been thinking of poor Vera, and wondering if I have not been a little hard on her. I think, perhaps, as I have only one objection to Captain Raleigh—his religion—I might consent, only stipulating that Vera should remain a Protestant. You see, Rex's marriage is still more objectionable. What do you advise? ” ‘That you should do nothing hastily; we shall have plenty of time to discuss that during our honeymoon,” she answered. ‘* The first thing we have to do is to see after Janet. She must sail in the next steamer, and by the time we return, the nine days’ wonder her marriage will create will have subsided.” ‘* And I must telegraph to Norah Canter that she is safe at once, or we shall have another visit from her.” As both Mr. Tempest and Mrs. Jamieson equally dreaded this catastrophe, they cut short their last afternoon together, and separated that he might telegraph to Norah and complete his arrange- ments for the next day’s ceremony, while Mrs. Jamieson saw after Janet. Mrs. Jamieson was as capable a woman, in her own way, in an emergency as Mrs, Canter; but to arrange for the outfit and passage of a mother and child to Manitoba in a few hours, those few hours the eve of her own wedding, was a serious undertaking. But it must be done, and Mrs. Jamieson was determined to do it. When she went to the Lodge to see Janet, she found matters were further com- plicated, because Mrs. Reginald Tempest was still in bed, and if Mrs, Tanner were to be believed too ill to get up that day. “Very well, keep her in bed to-day ; but to-morrow you must take her to Liverpool, Tanner. I'll make out a list of things she will require to-night ; these you must get on Friday and Saturday. On ECOMicbooolkxs.com @