The Argosy — page 262: what you’re looking at

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

: The Mysteries of Heron Dyke. 243 distressed ; and was growing a little bit nervous besides. Appetite failed ; the long dark nights oppressed her, sleep gave place to wakeful restlessness, and she began to be afraid of sleeping alone. Therefore it was with a sigh of relief that she answered Mrs. Carlyon’s invitation ; and for the first time in her life she was not sorry to lose sight of the chimneys of Heron Dyke as the carriage whirled her and Maria Kettle away to the station. Mrs. Carlyon had a surprise in store for her niece, as Ella dis- covered on the second evening after her arrival in London. Knowing her aunt’s fondness for company, but being herself in no humour to enjoy it, Ella had pleaded for no large parties during her stay ; that they should dine quietly en famille, and spend rational evenings. To this Mrs. Carlyon had readily agreed, stipulating, however, that the rule should be relaxed in favour of two or three people who might be called friends of the family. ‘‘ In short, my dear,” Mrs. Carlyon had said, when talking of it the day of Ella’s arrival, oe | promise not to introduce you fo a single sranger except one.’ ‘Except one!” repeated Ella. “Yes, except one. A very nice old gentleman who is between sixty and seventy years old. You won't surely object to Aim /” Ella laughed. She thought she must not hold out against any gentleman of that age, but rather welcome his acquaintance. But Miss Winter was very considerably taken aback when, on the following evening, her aunt led her up toa little, lean, finical-looking old man, who wore the attire of a by-gone age, a brown wig, a long bottle-green coat, and curiously fine-frilled cambric-linen, and introduced him: ‘ Mr. Gilbert Denison of Nunham Priors.” For a moment or two Ella could find no word to say. She had unconsciously pictured Mr. Denison as a very truculent sort of individual ; as what her uncle would have been with all the more disagreeable points of his character intensified ; as a man who em- ployed spies, and who would shrink from nothing in his endeavours to do his kinsman harm. Yet here before her she saw a very harm- less-looking old gentleman indeed, with a puckered-up, comical, yet honest and kindly face, and dark, vivacious eyes that seemed brim- ming over with amusement at her evident discomfiture. ' Mr. Denison took her hand with an old-world air of gallantry and touched it with his lips. ‘‘Enter the First Robber,” he said, with one of his whimsical smiles. ‘‘I hope my ferocious appearance does not frighten you, young lady. You will get used to me better by- and-by, my dear. Why do you look so surprised? I cannot tell you how pleased I am to meet you.” He made room for her on the sofa by his side. ‘‘ Say now, I am not the sort of looking person you expected to find.” Ella smiled charmingly. Somehow she had taken a great and sudden fancy to him. ‘I had always thought of you as being so different,” she said. . ECORNICLO© “S (©) mm