The Argosy — page 261: what you’re looking at

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

242 Court Netherleigh. answer, to say how you are, and how the world is using you, and please let it be by return of post. I have a reason for asking this. Pardon the trouble ; and believe me ever affectionately yours, “Mary ISABEL Lynn.” “ FTave you brought me ill news, Francis ?” she repeated. ‘About Robert Dalrymple ?” | Her brother looked at her. ‘Again I ask you, Mary, why you should put the question ? ” : ‘“‘T will tell you,” she said: ‘‘at the risk of your laughing at me, Francis ; and that I know you will do. I have had a dream about Robert, and it has made me uneasy.” ‘A dream!” he repeated in surprise. But he did not laugh. “Tt was last Friday night,” she went on. ‘I came home from your house rather tired, and—and troubled ; troubled about Robert. I had seen that he was in great trouble himself; in fact, he told me so; but he would not tell me its nature. ‘The world was using him — hardly—that was the most explicit admission he made. I could not get to sleep at first for thinking of him; not before one o’clock, I daresay ; and then I had a terrible dream.” “Vou should not think of dreams, child,” put in her brother. “ But go on.” ‘‘T thought we were in some gloomy room, Robert and I. At the end of it was a small door, closed, with an opening at the top pro- tected by iron spikes. Beyond that narrow opening nothing could be seen, for it was dark. Robert stood near this door, facing it in silence, as if waiting for it to open, and I stood some yards behind him, waiting also. Some trouble seemed to lie upon both of us, some apprehension, but I know not what; something that could not be spoken of: it filled my heart to sickness. Suddenly the door began slowly to open ; and as the intense darkness beyond began to disclose itself more and more—a black, inky darkness that seemed to reign in illimitable space—a most frightful terror took possession of me, a terror more awful than can ever be experienced in life. Robert turned and looked at me in token of farewell, still in silence—and oh, Irancis, I shall never forget the despairing misery depicted on his face. He turned it away again, and took a step towards the door, now quite open. I rushed forward with a scream and caught his arm on its threshold. ‘No, no, you shall not go out there!’ I shrieked: ‘stay, and pray for deliverance.’ ‘This awoke me; awoke me to the same vivid terror I had felt in the dream,” concluded Miss Lynn, ‘Cand just afterwards the clock struck two.” * TEwo.. & “Two. I lay in the most extreme agitation for the rest of the : vht; instinct whispering me that some ill had befallen Robert. With the morning the feeling in some degree passed away, and the occupations of the day served still more to deaden it: several visitors called on Saturday. Nevertheless, the dream has haunted me ever Gomichboo 6S (CO)