The Argosy — page 319: what you’re looking at

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

The Mystery of Allan Grale. 247 them back to their work. Even when Dr. Palmer came up, he said nothing ; he only pointed to the hat ; and when the Doctor saw it he realized by the revulsion of disappointment, how strongly he him- self had hoped and believed that the Black Pool had no secret to surrender. The Doctor could not bear to see his old neighbour sitting there, in that terrible silence, watching the troubled waters which could not hold their own much longer. He would have liked to bid him go home and entrust the awful surveillance to some one else. But he knew Mr. Grale was not a man to brook any such interference. So he went round the margin of the Pool to have a little conversation with the men. He knew the Sladford lock-keeper, and meant to Suggest to him that they should suspend their labours for that evening, for Mr. Grale’s sake. The men paused as he approached. They had a reason of their own for so doing, apart from civility. , “This is terrible work, Jenkins,” said the Doctor to the lock- eeper. “ Aye, sir,” responded Jenkins, wiping his brow. ‘“ And I am glad you are come up, sir. That there old gentleman should not be allowed to stay here.” “Who can make him go?” returned Dr. Palmer. Jenkins shook his head. ‘I reckon we’ve got hold of something just this minute, Dr. Palmer, sir,” he said, in awhisper. ‘“ It may not be gct to the surface for a good while, or it may come almost directly. Being medical, you don’t need to be told, sir, that things which have lain long in the water are an awful sight.” Dr. Palmer nodded. But what could he do? ‘Can you not say, Jenkins, that you are going to leave off in a few minutes, and then I may get him to walk to the high road with me. Perhaps you really are?” “Aye, sir,” said Jenkins, “it may be in notime. For if it does not come up easy like, we shall leave it till to-morrow.” Nothing but the inducement given, that the men “ were just going to take up their grappling irons and leave off,” could have persuaded Mr. Grale to quit his post. Dr. Palmer linked his arm within his, and led him away. He had tied that battered hat in his bandana handkerchief, and carried it in his hand, as in his hard-working and penniless boyhood he had perhaps carried his little all. “ Mrs. Grale must not see that,” said the Doctor. “Tl leave it at the lodge,” he replied. ‘ Poor Polly ! Perhaps it’s only right I should go home to her.” Yet he paused on the edge of the high road, and looked back. ‘I ought to return later,” he said, “and make sure that all is quiet.” “Tl do that on my way home from the Court,” answered the poster, hastily. ‘And then I'll look in upon you at Moorland ouse,”’ ECONMCOOOKS.CO