The Argosy — page 263: what you’re looking at

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

The Master of Greylands. 245 honourable man, and put proper notions into her. This greatly facili- tates matters, William. Our path is now quite smoothed out for us. I will myself write to her. You can do the same, if you are so disposed. Had this only come before, what arguments it might have saved ! ” Upon which the baronet sat down, and indited a seemingly kind, but really insolent epistle, accepting her alternative. William wrote one also. *“My DarLING, “I suppose we must separate, but,all happiness for me is over in this world. You will, however, accord me a final interview ; a moment for explanation ; I cannot part from you without that. I will be with you this afternoon at four o’clock. “In spite of all, “T am for ever yours—and yours only, ‘WILLIAM BLAKE-GORDON.” Unlike his father’s letter, there was no hypocrisy in this, no studied form of words. When he wrote that all happiness for him was over, he meant it; and he wrote truly. Perhaps he deserved no less : but, if he merited blame, judgment might accord him some pity with it. " When Mary received the letters, she felt certain of their contents Defore a word was seen. Sir Richard would not himself have written but to break off the engagement. He had not even called upon her in all these long, weary days of desolation and misery: and there could be but one motive for this unkind neglect. His note would now ex- plain it. But when Mary came to read the letters, the pain was more than her wounded spirit—so tried in the past few weeks—could bear ; and with a brief but violent storm of sobs, with which no tears came, she tore the baronet’s in two and threw it into the fire. “At least he might have done it differently,” she said to herself in her anguish. ‘‘ He might have written in a manner that would have made me feel it less.” Tt was one of her first lessons in the world’s harshness, in the selfish nature of man. Happy for her if in her altered circumstances she had not many such to learn ! When William Blake-Gordon, true to his appointment, reached the Bank at four. o’clock, he was admitted. How different an aspect the house presented to the bustle and the sociality of the days gone by! A stillness, as of a dead city, reigned. Rooms that had re-echoed with merry voices and light footsteps above, with the ring of gold and the tones of busy men below, were now silent and deserted. No change of any kind had yet been made in the house- hold arrangements, but that was soon to come.. The servants |would be discharged, the costly furniture was already marked for the hammer ; ECOMicoOOKS. Com neta.