The Argosy — page 359: what you’re looking at

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

The Master of Greylands. 339 From the very first, the description of the building had seized on her mind, and left its dread there. It was ¢hereshe must look for the traces of her husband’s fate; perhaps even for himself. Yes, she believed that the grim walls covered him, not the heaving sea. “Qh Anthony! my ill-fated, wronged husband !” she cried, raising her clasped hands upwards in her distress and speaking through her blinding tears, ‘‘may the good God help me to bring your fate to light !” The shades of twilight were deepening. Fishermen with their wives and children were wending their way homewards after the Sunday evening's walk—the one walk taken together of the seven days. Two of the Grey Ladies came down from the cliff and went towards the Nunnery : Madame Guise, who by this time had made acquaintance with some of the inhabitants, wondered whether anybody was ill in the cottages. A good many dwellings were scattered on this side the cliff: some of them pretty commodious cottages, others mere huts. Once more, as she stood there at the casement window, Charlotte Guise asked herself whether she was justified in thus entering Greylands’ Rest under a false aspect—justified even by the circumstances. She had revolved the same question in her mind many times during the past few days, and the answer had always been, as it was now, in the affirm- ative. Andshe was of a straight-forward, honourable nature ; although the reader may be disposed to judge the contrary. That Mr. Castle- maine had taken her husband’s life; taken it in wilful malice and wickedness that he might retain his usurpation of Greylands’ Rest, she did not entertain a shade of doubt of : she believed, religiously believed, - that the mission of tracking out this crime was laid upon her by Heaven ; and she did consider herself justified in taking any steps that might forward her in it; any steps in the world, overhanded or underhanded, short of: doing injury to any innocent person. Her original resolve had been, merely to stay in the village, seek out what information she could, and wait; but the opportunity having been offered her in so singularly marked a manner (as she looked upon it) of becoming an inmate of Mr. Castlemaine’s home, she could not hesitate in embracing it. And yet, though she never faltered in her course, though an angel from Heaven would hardly have stopped her entrance, believing, as she did, that the entrance had been specially opened for her, yet every now and again qualms of conscience pricked her sharply, and she hated the whole proceeding. | ‘“ But I cannot leave Anthony alone in the unknown grave,” she would piteously tell herself at these moments. “ And I can see no other way to discovery ; and I have no help to aid me init. If I entered upon the investigation openly, declaring who I am, that might be worse than fruitless : it would put Mr. Castlemaine on his guard ; he is moré clever than I, he has all power here, while I have none ; and Anthony might COMIC OOOKS. EO —_)