The Argosy — page 238: what you’re looking at

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

180 The Mystery of Allan Grale. he wished to show it to the sympathising comrade of his boyhood, before sending it away for practical test. The new watchmaker’s hammer, which he had bought and used, was waiting to be returned to Webster, the owner of the one he had mislaid ; but Charles had forgotten the man’s address. He enquired it when sending the intimation to Mark Acland, for it was he who wrote, and Mark sent the address back in his note of acceptance. Charles at once despatched the instrument to Webster, with a note of apology and explanation. Dr. Palmer was struck by the change which had come over his daughter Agnes. He could not define it. It was not a look of dignity, or of calmness, or of resignation ; but it was something of all three. There had been no tragedy in the good Doctor’s own life. It had had a happy morning, happy struggles, happy success, happy love; and shall we be understood if we go on to say, happy sorrow, happy pathos, a long happy afternoon ? But whatever change might have been noted in Agnes Palmer's bearing, nobody but her father was thinking about her, as he and his daughters were ushered into the drawing-room at Moorland House. They were the latest arrivals. Lady Laura Bond’s fly had been driven over early, and George Vivian was punctual to the appointed hour. ‘There was another person in the room, whose identity Dr. Palmer did not clearly apprehend in the mumur of hurried introductions. This was an elderly gentleman with a freakish-looking flaxen wig. He had a clean-shaven face, young- looking from a distance, but scored and counter-scored by hundreds of minute wrinkles, which somehow suggested a previous acquaintance with rather trying cosmetics. He was talking in a high treble to George Vivian ; and in a very few remarks he managed to introduce the Army, India, and the Continent in a way which suggested a personal knowledge of them. Dr. Palmer had scarcely taken time to wonder who this individual might be before the young person whom the Doctor recognised as the central interest of the group addressed him as “ Pa,” The “ young person!” Dr. Palmer read that invidious designation in his daughter Agnes’s eyes, as they rested, with straightforward doubt and disfavour, on the “medium,” Miss‘ Bessie Tempest. She was a little woman, with a slender waist and frisky flaxen curls, which some- how looked like her father’s wig. She was got up to represent 2 simple young thing, with school-girl frills, and two or three quaint litle ornaments, such as we find in odd corners of good grandmothers’ jewel-cases. Nevertheless, Agnes Palmer was quite sure that Miss Bessie Tempest was not very much under thirty. Afternoon tea was brought in. Miss Bessie whispered something to Lady Laura with a laugh. Lady Laura replied that everybody here was friendly, and then explained publicly that Miss Bessie had questioned the prudence of this little hospitality, since prejudiced COMIC OoOOkKS.con