The Argosy — page 212: what you’re looking at

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

-~- ~- -_eo -——_— ell ww OU hue - - _ 200 Rupert's Choice. ‘Here you are, Tom, and that’s the young lady !’ I was rather surprised, but ‘Tom’ told me quite civilly that Mrs. Loraine was sorry she could not send on for me, but the Helmsleigh ’bus would put me down at the gate. So into the ‘’bus’ of course I got, and in about an hour it ad put me down at a lodge where a boy with a wheel-barrow was waiting. He took me and my box up to a house, where a butler informed me that Mrs. Loraine was dining out and would not be back till very late, but begged I would make myself comfortable! The housemaid would show me my room, and dinner could be ready whenever I liked.” ‘“My poor child!” said Mrs. Loraine. ‘What did you think of such a reception ? ” " “J thought it very odd,” replied Mona, with a smile and a blush. ‘“‘T asked when Mr. Loraine was expected back from Clevelands, and was told ‘not till the next morning.’ So I had my dinner all by myself, as there seemed nothing else to be done.” “And were very angry!" said Rupert. ‘ Confess, Mona! did you not begin to think of going straight home again P” Mona laughed. ‘Well, perhaps I might, only I did not suppose the ‘bus’ was likely to be going back to Newbury that evening.” ‘‘She laughs now,” said Mrs. George. “ But the maids told me a different story about last night !” “ How did you make out the mistake?” asked Mrs. Loraine; for Mona coloured painfully, though she smiled, as she thought of her tears the previous evening in her solitude. ‘Why, the moment she came in from church this morning, and found tne in the garden, she saw I was not a bit like the photo- graphs she had seen of you, Eleanor. Then we had it out in half a minute and had a good laugh over it, and I thought the best thing we could do was just to walk up here at once to breakfast. And now,” added Mrs. George, laughing her jolly, unrefined laugh, “ what sort of a girl is the real Miss Harris P” ‘You must find out for yourself, Harriet,” replied Mrs. Loraine, smiling. ‘‘ Now, Mona, come up with me and take off your hat. Miss Barlow will go and bring down poor Miss Harms, and we will all have breakfast.” We had a very merry breakfast. Afterit was over, Mrs. George carried. off poor Marian Harris, who, it appeared, was the eldest daughter of an attorney at Bristol; and being tired of home and poverty and a crowd of younger brothers and sisters, had come out to see the world as a companion. Seen in this new light, she was not a bad sort of ‘girl; but we scarcely knew how to be thankful enough for having found that she was not to be Rupert’s wife, and that this sweet and charming girl now left with us was the real Mona Herries. ecomniclooolkks _ (CO)