The Argosy — page 360: what you’re looking at

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

In the Dead of Night. 339 “Then you aré not afraid?” ‘“What’s there to be frittened of? She’s quiet enough now. I shall make up a jolly fire, and have a jolly supper, and then a jolly long sleep. And that’s what I’ve not had for weeks. And I shall read the Dream Book. She can’t keep that from me now. I know where it is. It’s in the bed right under her. But I'll have it.” She laughed and nodded her head, then putting a nut into her mouth she cracked it and began to pick out the kernel. Kester turned away. ‘Nell, my good girl,” said Mr. Skeggs, insinuatingly, “just see whether there is’nt such a thing as a drop of whiskey somewhere about the house. I’ve an awful pain in my chest.” ‘There’s no whiskey—not a drop—but I know where there’s half a bottle of gin. Give me five shillings and I'll fetch it.”’ ‘Five shillings for half a bottle of gin! Why, Nell, what a greedy young pig you must be!” “ Don’t have it, then. Nobody axed you. Ican drink it myself.” ‘‘T’ll give you three shillings for it. Come now.” “Not a meg less than five will I take,” said Nell, a aemaacam as. she cracked another nut. “Why, you young viper, have you noconscience at all ?” he cried savagely. Then seeing that Nell took no further notice of him, he turned to Kester. ‘‘ I find that I have no loose silver about me,” he said. ‘ Oblige me with the loan of a couple of half-crowns till we get to Sedgeley.” Whenever Mr. Skeggs made a new acquaintance he always requested the loan of a couple of half-crowns before parting from him. But the half-crowns were never paid back until asked for, and asked for more than once. A few premonitory flakes of snow were darkening the air as Kester St. George and Mr. Skeggs started on their way back across Burley Moor, the latter with a thick comforter round his neck and the bottle of gin stowed carefully away in the tail pocket of his coat. The cold seemed more intense than ever, but the wind had fallen altogether. ‘We are going to have a rough night,” said Skeggs as he stepped sturdily out. ‘“‘We must contrive to get: across the moor before the snow comes down very thick, or we shall stand a good chance of losing our way. Only the winter before last a pedlar and his wife were lost in the snow within a mile of here, and their bodies not found for a iorane ht. This sudden change will play the devil with the young crops.” Kester did not answer. Far different matters occupied his thoughts. In silence they walked on for a little while. “I suppose you could give a pretty good guess,” said Skeggs at length, “‘at my reasons for asking you which way you were going to walk this afternoon?” ‘‘ Indeed, no,” said Kester with a shrug. “I have not the remotest connicloooks CO im