The Argosy — page 267: what you’re looking at

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

209 MISS OLDHAM’S CHOICE. By THE AuTHor oF “ ADoNals, QO. C.” \yiss OLDHAM, all the time she had been ‘driving along the Parade of Boroughbourne, had kept her clear blue eyes fixed dreamily on the dancing, sail-studded bay. Now that the open fly in which she was drew up at Brattley’s, the principal draper’s shop of the place, she got out and crossed the pavement into the shop. Miss Oldham had the walk and the easy, natural dignity of an ideal queen. There was nothing particularly beautiful in her face— except, perhaps, the eyes—and yet she had a face in which there was a whole world of fascination imprinted somewhere. Amongst a crowd of others, it was the one which would have been almost certain to be temembered. The short Grecian nose ; the sensitive lips ; above all, the droop of the eyelids, and the dignified, direct expression of the clear eyes. The poise of the head .was very dignified also ;—and if one had happened to catch the tone of voice, that would have been remembered as well. It was clear and decided, like the look in the eyes. | At twenty-seven a woman’s complexion is rarely her strong point ; but Miss Oldham’s complexion had never been anything but unnotice- able. She was not one of those enigmatical women who can look marvellously plain at one time, and at another time marvellously beautiful No; with that expression in her eyes, and that poise to her head, she could never have looked plain. But beautiful? Fasci- nating and queenly, yes ;—but there might have been two opinions as to whether she was actually beautiful. It was late summer. Her warm-coloured, handsomely-made brown costume seemed to speak of the coming autumn leaves as she passed straight through the crowded shop to a distant counter. She glanced up and down it for an instant, then went a step or-two farther along, and spoke to one of the shopmen. “T will take that Indian silk with me now, if you please.” She certainly had a most distinct and bell-like utterance; but the saopman looked as thunderstruck and confused as if she had ad- dressed him in an unintelligible dialect. “The—Indian silk—madam ?” he stammered. “Yes,” replied Miss Oldham, looking at the man. She continued to look at him for another moment, and then parted her lips as if she were about to repeat her request for the silk. Just at that instant the man burst into a profuse torrent of apologies. “ Miss Oldham—madam—TI beg your pardon; I understood you to say you had decided not to take the silk—I sold the two pieces VOL. XL. P GOMMGIOO @ S (SO) im