The Argosy — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

The Master of Greylands. 251 ‘‘Join the what?” ‘The Sisters at the Grey Nunnery, uncle.” : Mr. Castlemaine pushed back his chair in angry astonishment when the sense of the words fully reached him. ‘“ The Sisters at the Grey Nunnery !” he indignantly cried. ‘“ Join those Grey women who lead such an idle, gossipping, meddling life, that I have no patience when I think of them! Never shall you do that, Mary Ursula.” “It seems to me that you have always mistaken them, uncle,” she said; ‘‘ have done them wrong in your heart. They are nobie women, and they are leading a noble life ” “A petty, obscure life,” he interrupted. “Tt is obscure ; but in its usefulness and self-sacrifice it must be noble. What would Greylands be without their care ? ” “‘ A great deal better than with it.” “They help the poor, they tend the sick, they teach the young ones ; they try to make the fishermen think a little of God. Who would do it if they were not here, uncle? Do you know, I have thought so much of it in the past few days that I /ong to join them.” “This is utter folly!” cried Mr. Castlemaine; and he had never felt so inclined to be angry with his niece. ‘To join this med- dling Sisterhood would be to sacrifice all your future prospects in life.” “I have no prospects left to sacrifice,” returned Mary Ursula. ** You know that, Uncle James.” ‘‘No prospects? Nonsense! Because that dishonourahle rascal, William Blake-Gordon, has chosen to throw you up and make himself a by-word in the mouths of men, are you to renounce the world ? Many a better gentleman than he, my dear, will be seeking you before many months have gone by.” “YT shall never marry,” was her firm answer. “ Never, never. Whether I joined the Sisters or not ; whether I retired from the world, Or mixed to my dying day in all its pomps and gatties; still I should never marry. So you see, Uncle James, I have now to make my future, and to create for myself an object in life.”’ ‘Well, we'll leave that. Meanwhile your present home must be with me, Mary Ursula. I cannot spare you. I should like you to make up your mind to stay in it always, unless other and nearer ties shall call you forth.” , “You are very kind, Uncle James; you always have been kind. But I—I must be independent,” she added, with a smile and a slight flush. ‘‘ Forgive the seeming ingratitude, uncle dear.” “Very independent, you would be, if you joined those living-by-rule women! ” : “In one sense I should be thoroughly independent,ouncle: My income will be most welcome to them, for they are, as you know, very COMICOOOKS. Com —_)