The Argosy — page 196: what you’re looking at

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

The Mysteries of Heron Dyke. 179 disorder could have but one termination, but I had no thought that the end was so near. The heart suddenly failed in its action, and— and all was over. Only a few hours before, when I was with him, I had detected no cause for fear.” “You are aware that previously to last Christmas—in October I think it was—Dr. Spreckley, who had attended my uncle for twenty years, and who ought to have known his constitution if it were possible for anyone to know it, gave it as his decided opinion that Mr. Denison could not live far into the new year—if so long as that.” ‘‘Mr. Denison himself informed me of that opinion.” “And yet your skill prolonged his life until nearly the end of May ?” Dr. Jago bowed again, but said nothing. “Then you, although a much younger practitioner than Dr. Spreckley, must have pursued a very much more efficient mode of treatment with your patient than that adopted by him ?” Dr. Jago shrugged his shoulders, leaned forward in his chair, and smiled faintly. ‘I have not the slightest wish in the world to dis- parage Dr. Spreckley,” he said, ‘‘ but it may be that he is a little old-fashioned in his ideas ; it may be that he has hardly grown with the times. Medicine has made great strides during the last twenty years, and a middle-aged country practitioner, unless he be a great reader and a man of inquiring mind, would find many things taught, and many theories demonstrated in the schools of London and Paris, which were hardly as much as mooted when he was a young man.” All this seemed only fair and reasonable. In any case, Miss Winter was not prepared to refute it. She paused for a moment or two before she spoke again. ‘It may or it may not have come to your notice, Dr. Jago,” she said, eyeing him steadily as she spoke, ‘‘that there are certain reports flying about the neighbourhood—reports unpleasant to all concerned, but which you could no doubt put an end toif you chose to do so.” “Reports! About what, Miss Winter?” he asked quickly. Ella paused : it seemed somewhat difficult to frame words for what _ she wanted to say. “I hardly know how to put it,” she said with a frank smile. ‘“* People have in some way picked up a notion that there was some deceit or fraud at work in connection with my uncle’s death.” “Oh, do they ?” was all the answer the Doctor made, speaking carelessly. | “It is said that for some months before Mr. Denison died he was immured away from everyone except three or four people; that he was kept under lock and key; that all his old friends were denied access to him. Also, that at the very time my letters from home informed me he was growing stronger day by day and week by week, CONNIClOO© SS (CO) am a)