The Argosy — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

30 Selina Radcliffe’s Home. back in the day-time. The inner door opened into a long, narrow passage, and that again to a circular stone hall with a heavy ceiling, just like a large dark watch box. Four or five doors led off from it to different passages and rooms. This same kind of round place was on all the landings, shut in just as the hall was, and with no light, save what might be afforded from the doors of the passages or rooms leading to it. It was the foundation of the tower, and the house was built round it. All the walls were of immense thickness ; the rooms were low, and had beams running across most of them. But the rooms were many in number, and the place altogether had a massive and grand air, telling of its past importance. It had one senseless point in it— there was no entrance to the tower. The tower had neither staircase nor door of access. People said what a grand view might be obtained if you could but get to the top of it, or even get up to look through the small slits of windows in its walls. But the builder had forgotten the staircase, and there it ended. Mr. Radcliffe took his wife straight home from the church door. Selina had never before been inside the Torr, and the gloominess of its aspect struck upon her unpleasantly. Leading her down the long passage into the circular hall, he opened one of its doors, and she found herself in a sitting-room. The furniture was good but heavy ; the carpet, a Turkey, was nearly colourless with age,but soft to the feet ; the window looked out only upon trees. A man servant, who had admitted them, followed them in, asking his master if he had any orders. “Send Holt here,” said Mr. Radcliffe. ‘This is the parlour, Selina.” A thin, respectable woman of middle age made her appearance. She looked with curiosity at the young lady her master had brought in: at her wedding dress of grey silk, at the pretty face blushing under the white straw bonnet. | “ Mrs. Radcliffe, Holt. Show your mistress her rooms.” The woman curtsied, and led the way through another passage to the stairs ; and into a bedroom and sitting-room above, that opened into one another. “‘T’ve aired ’em well, ma’am,” were the first words she said. “‘ They’ve never been used since the late mistress’s time, for master has slept in a little chamber near Master Stephen’s. ‘But he’s coming back here now.” “Ts this the drawing-room?” asked Selina, observing that the furniture, though faded, was prettier and lighter than that in the room downstairs. “Dear no, ma’am! The drawing-room is below and on t’other side of the house entirely. It’s never gone into from one month’s end to another. Master and Mr. Stephen uses nothing but the parlour. We call this the Pine Room,” GomiGoooks. co m