The Argosy — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

The Mystery of Allan Grale. II he was in his room as usual, whatever master knew, and then we thought he would be gone only for two or three days, but the days are turning into weeks now ” “Where did he go to? Where is he?” “Nobody knows,” said Susan. ‘“ We don’t.” ‘Mrs. Grale will know where her son is.” “No, that she does not,” dissented Susan, eagerly. “I don’t believe it. She fretted dreadful at first. It’s the master who knows, if anybody does; and the mistress has cheered up a little again, lately.” “Mrs. Grale must know all about it,” persisted the work-woman ; “or, as time passes on, she would grow more anxious, instead of less so.” Susan shook her head. ‘ The mistress doesn’t have much of her own way. She’s a good sort of mistress, and means well; but she can’t go very deep. S4e’s frightened of the master,” added Susan, with emphasis. ‘‘ That is, she daren’t go against him.” “And is Miss Mary Anne frightened of her father?” asked Miss West. “Miss Mary Anne thinks of nothing but herself,” confided Susan ; “of herself and Mr. George Vivian. She thinks he is in love with her: leastways, hopes he is. But I don’t fancy Mr. George would come to this house for a wife.” | “And why not?” asked Miss West, who appeared to be taking a good deal of silent interest in the conversation. “Why, because they are quite a different style of family!” ex- clamed Susan. “It’s all money, money, money, with our people, and they’ve got to domineer over other folks to try to keep their own place. The Vivians have no fear for theirs! They are the Vivians of Dering, and everyone knows it. I’ve seen the General take an old woman’s basket and carry it up the hill for her, and Miss Maria makes herself a true friend to everybody who wants one. Joe Massey says that after his accident if Miss Maria called and found him lacking anything, she’d go straight back to the Court and bring it down with her own hands.” “TI have heard about you and Joe Massey,” pleasantly remarked Miss West, biting off an end of thread. Susan smiled and blushed. ‘“ And the two gentlemen, Mr. George and Mr. Edgar, always speak so pleasant to one,” she went on. “They'd as soon think of domineering over their horses and dogs as over us poor people.” Something in the speech seemed to offend the seamstress. ‘* And if their politeness comes from the same cause—that they deem poor people to be a different order of being from themselves—then I’d rather a thousand times have the overbearing insolence of the Grales ! ” said she, flaring into sudden and unaccountable heat. It did not ruffle thoughtless, good-humoured Susan. ‘I wouldn't,” GOMMGIO@ S COLA |