The Argosy — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

80 My Cousin Caroline's Wedding. set at him, as Lina was put out of the question. And—well—perhaps it was not quite right to pretend to fall desperately in love with her, but he declared that it was the only way he could devise to have access to the society of Lina. His attentions to Caroline were eagerly caught up by her and Mrs. Dashingly, and the preparations were hurried on, almost before a syllable had been spoken on his part. And now he had taken Lina off to the railway-station, where a special train was waiting, the engine at a white heat, to convey them towards Scotland. He left a polite note behind him, hoping Mrs Dashingly would forgive him for making Lina his wife, with his compliments to the convent, and a kind word to Father Peter. “The—the—the ¢hirty thousand pounds |” gasped Alfred, his lips all white, and his hair standing on end, “‘ does she take THAT?” Lina did oft take the thirty thousand pounds. If she married without consent before she became of age, only ten of it remained to her. The other twenty came plump to us six boys. Somebody set up an unearthly shriek, and began whirling about the room in a violent manner. It was a repetition of poor aunt's hornpipe. “ The breakfast !’ reiterated Dr. Cram, with tears in his eyes. ‘“Isn’t It to be eaten now ? ” ‘“* Of course it is to be eaten,” answered Sir Popperton, hardly able to speak for laughing. ‘I'll preside, if Mrs. Dashingly won't. God bless Lina! She will do more good in the sphere she has had the courage to choose, than she would have done shut up in a convent—I beg your pardon, holy sir,” with a nod to the pmest, “I mean no offence. You may rely upon one thing, Mrs. Dashingly, that even if Fitzhenry had not stepped in, you should never have shut up Lina.” The priest bowed and smiled courteously. He was not half a bad old fellow, after all. So we men filed in to breakfast. And Mrs. Dr. Cram, who saw no fun in our having it to ourselves, took the lead in following us. Another mistake came to light. All Caroline’s letters, announcing the happy event to her friends, had been posted the previous night through the officiousness of the old butler. Carry was beside herself. In her mortification she would have married me ; want of briefs looked trifling matter to her now, compared with remaining Miss Caroline Dashingly. I wished she might get it. And so ended poor Caroline’s wedding. Alfred talked largely about calling the captain to account: but it came to nothing. Sir Popperton’s opinion was strongly expressed, and as fe had thirty thousand pounds to leave to somebody, Alfred dutifully deferred to him. For myself, I had the supreme felicity, a fortnight afterwards, of giving away my sweet sister Lina to Captain Fitzhenry, at St. George’s Church, the two having some slight scruples about the legality of the previous marmiage in Scotland. ECoOMmicloooks (C(O) in —_)