The Argosy — page 341: what you’re looking at

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

The Amethyst Seal. 269 Not another word spoke he, but puffed at his cigar in grim silence till the lights of the station came in view, and the four miles’ drive was at an end. Then he took his bag, saw the groom set off on the road home, and made his way towards the booking-office. II, Tue village of Stilwater, where Captain Wenlock posted his letters, may be said to form the apex of an irregular triangle, of which the railway stations of Barrowcliff and Thorndale formed the respective points of the base. It was rather more than four miles from Stilwater to Thorndale, and rather more than five miles from the same place to Barrowcliff. Both the stations were on one of the direct trunk lines from south to north, and vice-versa. Barrowcliff was a manufacturing town of some pretensions, whereas Thorndale was nothing but a pretty hamlet—but it was a hamlet round which were clustered the mansions of several county magnates, and for that reason, if for no other, a considerable number of trains, both up and down, were timed to call at the little station. As a consequence of there being no station at Stilwater, the post- bags pertaining to that place were conveyed by mail-cart to and from Barrowcliff, a fact of which Mr. Harold Dare was thoroughly cognisant. That gentleman, after bidding the groom good-night, went inside the station and devoted a full quarter of an hour to a study of the different time-tables suspended on the booking-office walls. Then, as soon as the little window was opened, he proceeded to take his ticket, but not, as anyone would have supposed, for London, but for Barrowcliff, five miles in the opposite direction. A few minutes later the down train steamed into the station, and a quarter of an hour after that Dare alighted at the place for which he had booked. He glanced at the station clock as he did so and saw that it was half-past eight. No one there was likely to know him, and he entered the refresh- ment-room without hesitation. The night was very cold, and a little hot grog under such circumstances is allowable. Then he filled his pocket-flask with brandy, lit a cigar, and sallied forth. On his way through the town he called at a chemist’s shop and made a small purchase. The station at Barrowcliff was in the suburbs of the town, and in a little while Dare had left the streets behind him, and found himself on the quiet country road that led to Stilwater. It was re- quisite that he should now time his movements with great accuracy. He took out his watch under the last gas lamp, before plunging into the darkness of the country, and found that he had still ample time for his purpose. The night was clear and frosty ; the stars gleamed in the sky like shining points of steel. CORnICclooo SS (GO) mn