The Argosy — page 245: what you’re looking at

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

FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR. By THE AUTHOR OF ‘* East LYNNE.” I. N a comfortable sofa by the side of a large fire in a spacious London drawing-room, lay a lady, young and handsome. Not, however, in the extreme of youth, or in girlhood, for she had been a wife and mother some years, and was getting towards eight or nine and twenty. Her face was deathly to look upon. Nota shadeof colouring appeared in its features, even in the lips ; and the eyes were not like eyes, but like two lumps of lead set in there. She had recently passed through a perilous illness, and though so far recovered as to be in the drawing- room, it could not be said she was out of danger. Excessive debility, continued inward fever, and a cough that could not be got nid of, struggled with each other now, and kept her down. She was lying with her eyes closed, awake, but in a sort of unresisted stupor: she mostly lay so all day long, and had done so for the last ten weeks. One, drawing near, could have heard her laboured breathing, rendering her sentences, when she did speak, abrupt and broken. It was Margaret, the wife of Adam Grainger. The room door opened, and a lad of six came in; too boisterously— but how impart thoughtfulness to young children? He had his mother’s handsome features, her expressive dark eyes, and her naturally fine colour. She slowly opened her eyes. ‘“‘T want to say good-bye to you, mamma. Sophy was going to take me without, but I ran away from her.” ‘“‘ And have woke up your ma, like an obstinate boy as you are!” broke in Sophy, ‘I wonder, ma’am, you don’t forbid his eRe in, unless you please to ring for him.” ‘“‘T thought you were already at school, Algetanh® she vieuieill “Ts it not late ?” “ Half-past two,” said Sophy. . It was on the stroke of three, but the servants had sat gossiping over — their dinner, and Sophy did not hurry herself to move. She thought her mistress, lying there, would not know whether it was late or early. The child drew near to kiss her. ? “ Algernon, darling, be a good boy. Sophy, did you ask Mrs. Smith this morning how she was ?” ‘No, ma’am, I didn’t think of it. She looked as usual.” Mrs. Smith was Algernon’s governess. She kept a dayschool hard by. She was not strong, often complained of feeling ill, and Mrs. Grainger had got into the habit of asking Sophy how she was. They left the room, and Mrs. Grainger relapsed into stillned: But | { Gomichbooks.com