The Argosy — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

I2 The Mystery of Allan Grale. said she. ‘If people are pleasant and civil in their dealings with you, what more do you want of them? I’m sure that afternoon when Mr. Edgar came up to ask for Mr. Allan, speaking so gently and kindly, I thought his very manner was enough to wile a bird off a bough.” Miss West gave a queer laugh. ‘“ To wile a bird off a bough !” she echoed. ‘ Aye.” “Tt is Mr. George who has generally been most intimate in coming here for Mr. Allan,” pursued Susan, “ but that afternoon it was Mr. Edgar. And he wrote that note, which there’s been a talk of, in our very hall here, tearing a leaf ‘out of his own pocket-book and twisting it up after for me to give to Mr. Allan. It was the very day Mr. Allan went away.” Miss West let her sewing lie still in her lap. She was looking at Susan. “What was in the note ?” she said. “Tt was asking Mr. Allan to meet him at the Black Pool.” “‘ Did he meet him there?” eagerly cried Miss West. “IT don’t know,” answered Susan. ‘‘ He went out as soon as he had swallowed his dinner, and he did not come back again.” The work-woman had never taken her eyes from Susan’s face. “Was Mr. Edgar Vivian so condescending as to tell you what was in the note?” she questioned, in a mocking tone. The girl coloured. ‘No, he didn’t,” she said, shortly. ‘“ And I didn’t peep inside, either, as perhaps you are thinking. When the young master read the note, he must have left it lying open on his toilet-table—and I happened—-I could not help it—to see what it said. I folded the note up again into the same twists and left it there: I didn’t like Mr. Allan to know it had been read. Not that there was anything in it that all the house might not have seen— just two or three lines asking Mr. Allan to go to the Black Pool.” ‘“* And—he—never—came—home—again !” repeated Miss West, with a pause between every word as if in deep thought. ““No. Never since then.” *“T)o you remember the date, Susan ?” “Yes, I do—I remember it by something particular that concerns myself. It was a Tuesday, and the 2oth of October.” Miss West nodded—as if she had expected the answer. “Tf think I saw him myself that same night,” she said, slowly. ““La!” exclaimed Susan. ‘ Where ? ” ‘Oh, in the road,” said Miss West, evasively. ‘‘I was not quite sure that it was Mr. Allan Grale, though I was nearly sure; but he Jooked rather stouter than usual and hardly as tall. But the moon- light is deceptive, and I was not very near him. He had on a light over-coat.” ‘That was him,” said Susan. “The master asked about that hight over-coat, and James said his young master took it out with COMIC OOlKS.CO