The Argosy — page 197: what you’re looking at

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

The Master of Greylands. 181 The story told by John Bent was a curious one. And, it should be intimated that, but for the fears stirrmg within the landlord’s own breast, the disappearance at this early stage would not have been thought so much of. But John Bent had caught up the fear that some fatal harm had chanced to the young man: in fact, that hefhad been— murdered! The landlord could not account for this strong‘impression ; he acknowledged that; but it was there, and he freely spoke it out. The substance of the tale he told was as follows. After Anthony Castlemaine had darted across the road and through the gate, in the wake of his uncle, the Master of Greylands, as previously related, John Bent stood still, watching for a minute or two, but could not see or hear anything of either of them. He then, finding the night air somewhat cold, stamped up and down the path, not losing sight of the opposite gate and waiting for Anthony to come out of it. Close upon this, there rang out the report of a pistol. It was accompanied, almost simultaneously, by an awful cry; the cry of a man in agony. John Bent wondered where the pistol came from and what it meant, but he never thought to connect either cry or pistol with Anthony Castle- maine. The time passed: John Bent began to find this waiting wearisome ; he thought what a long confab his guest was enjoying with Mr. Castlemaine, and hoped they were settling matters amicably. By- and-by, a sailor staggered past—for he had been taking somewhat more than was good for him—towards his home in the village. He was smoking ; and John Bent took his own pipe from his pocket, filled it, and lighted it by the sailor's. The pipe consoled John Bent, and the minutes passed somewhat less tediously: but when one o’clock rang out, and there were no signs of the young man, he began to think it very strange. “Surely they'd not stay all this while in that haunted Friar’s Keep !—and not a place to sit down on, and nothing but cold pillared cloisters to walk or stand in!” cried John to himself — and he deliberated what he should do. The prospect of marching into the Friar’s Keep in search of his guest was not altogether congenial to his taste, for John Bent did not like the chance of meeting ghosts more than Greylands did : neither did he care to proceed home himself and leave Anthony Castlemaine to follow at leisure. Another quarter of an hour elapsed ; and then, finding there was no help for it, and quite tired out, he put ona bold face, and crossed over to enter the gate. But the gate was locked. The gate was locked. And, had John Bent seen the whole row of high, substantial pailings suddenly lifted into the air, or thrown down to the earth, he would not have stood more transfixed with astonish- ment. For that gate had never been known to be locked within his remem. brance. There certainly was a lock to it, but it had always lacked &key. The latch was good, and that was all the fastening‘ used, o, COMIC OOOKS. EO