The Argosy — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

156 What is the Meaning of lt? reported to me after the lapse of nearly ten years, when sufficiently significant circumstances made it memorable to three of its actors. From each of these three I heard its story, and though two of them had certainly never seen each other from that time, their reports did not vary. In the course of the following few years, the young man got in- volved in sundry theological discussions which caused him to leave the very narrow sect to which he had originally belonged. He would be thought but a mild heretic to-day, but even ten years ago heresies on very minor points were held serious matters. And the young man continued for a long time adrift, without any charge of his own, but occupying himself with helping such ministers of divers dissenting persuasions as did not repudiate his assistance. It was at this time (about 1872) I was first introduced to him by Miss Escott. The story of the courage with which he had given up his charge and cut himself adrift on the world for conscience sake was naturally interesting. But the man himself did not suggest a hero. He was a quiet-mannered, rather sleepy-looking individual, given to converse with an affectation of strong special interest in his interlocutor. He used this mannerism with everybody, old or young, male or female, quite impartially. Nevertheless, when it happened with young ladies, it laid him open to a suspicion of philandering : that isto say, their friends suspected this, while the young ladies themselves felt adored. He did not stay long in London at that visit, and while he did stay he lived in the Escotts’ house. Mrs. Amory was not in London at the time. That I know. For at this date I had known her for many years, and Caroline Escott for two or three. He left London to take ministerial duty in a quiet little inland ~ town in Scotland. He was to take charge for a year, during the absence of the regular minister. Probably he found his position dull enough. He lived in lodgings and necessarily spent most of his evenings alone. Huis reflections, too, could not have been of the — liveliest. He had no real outlook in life, and he was engaged to © a minister’s daughter, whose father demurred to the young man’s theological opinions. , It was in the course of this year that Caroline Escott, with whom he constantly corresponded,—they being old family friends—received from him a very remarkable letter. Wisely or unwisely, but very naturally and very fortunately for this story, she showed that letter to me. In that letter he narrated that one evening—that of the third Friday in October—sitting as usual at his tea, and beguiling his solitude with a book, he looked up suddenly, and on the opposite side of the table saw the figure of “ the young lady with whom, many years ago, I tried a spiritualistic experiment at your house. Probably you have forgotten the incident,” he wrote, ‘‘as I have forgotten the Gomicbooks.