The Argosy — page 305: what you’re looking at

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

286 Fack Laybourne's Inheritance. she shrieked, in maniacal tones, keeping her husband down with one hand and clutching wildly at Rita with the other. The girl, as white as death, got away from her and retreated to the other end of the room. We, looking on in mute amazement, could see no letter, but noticed that she kept her left hand pressed tightly down among the folds of her dress. The Prince, meanwhile, had at last succeeded in leaping to his feet, and now seized his frenzied, struggling wife by the wrist—holding her so and (I really think) swearing at her in Russian, ‘* 7 will see that letter!” cried the poor woman in French, making frantic efforts to free herself, and beginning to sob like an angry child. ‘‘Madame! speak to that girl!” (this to me). ‘‘ Monsieur! (turn- ing to Jack) you are her cousin: will you encourage her in this infamy P” Jack, like every other spectator of this extraordinary scene, had stood till now dumbfoundered. At the Princess’s appeal, however, he roused himself with a kind of start, and did the best thing that could be done under the circumstances. Advancing to- wards Rita, he said, with ready tact, and in a grave but not severe manner: “I feel sure that this is all much ado about nothing. But as Princess Sobranowski is so excited, you had better surrender this letter—if letter it be. Give it to me, and I will tear it up before your eyes.” | ‘‘No! no!” interposed Madame Sobranowski, vehemently. “You shall not tear it up. I must read it.” ‘‘Tt is my cousin’s property, madame, and without her permission nobody can read it,” said Jack, coldly. The Princess, wilder than ever with baffled rage, was again about to protest, when Rita, for the first time, spoke: ‘‘Somebody must read the letter,” she said in clear, low tones. ‘‘I cannot rest under the aspersion which Princess Sobranowski has cast upon me.” = “Then let me read it,” cried Jack eagerly. ‘But it is to be a secret—mind!” said Rita, with a curious mix- ture of girlish naiveté and proud determination. ‘If you are satis- fied that I am blameless, that must be enough for everybody.” And she laid a little pink missive in his hands. Jack walked with it: to the lamp and unfolded it, amid a breathless silence, only broken. by the weeping of the Princess, who had subsided into a jelly-like heap on the sofa, and was indulging in hysterical tears. The note was apparently very brief, for Jack’s eye travelled down itin a moment. Without a word, he deliberately refolded it; ex- tracted his portemonnaie, placed the letter inside it, put his hands into his pockets, and—faced the tantalised spectators with the most unconcerned air in the world! ‘‘T trust that you are content, monsieur!” observed the Prince, with an uneasy laugh. ‘‘ Perfectly so,” answered Jack, ‘‘ Miss Greville, won't you play Eomichbooks.co ;