The Argosy — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

The Hammonds’ Ugly Duckling. 271, Charles Payne, looking up from an old score which he had been humming over analytically to Joan. “Humph!” remarked Mr. Hammond. While Mrs. Meredith, who had some humour, smiled. ‘‘Can’t you write the article in the British Museum ? ” “No,” said Payne. ‘I require the local colour.” ‘“ And what will Bertha do away from all her friends?” asked Gertrude, in a tone not devoid of asperity. ‘“ Bertha will have se,” said Charles, with gentle dignity. ‘ But when you are absorbed by Bavaria, will she not feel rather lonely ?” interposed Mrs. Meredith. | ‘Tf even she had one of her sisters with her,” resumed Gertrude. ‘Spare her one of your sisters,” said Payne promptly. Gertrude stared. ‘Now is your opportunity, Joan. Now or never.” And Charles Payne glanced with smiling encouragement at the girl bending low and nervously, it seemed, over the scattered sheets of music. Not Gertrude alone, but everybody now looked up surprised. Joan raised a pale, determined face, and said steadily, ‘“‘I wish to go to Munich to study music.” There was a general silence of sheer amazement, broken at last by a short laugh of sardonic amusement from Mr. Hammond. “Well, well; what next, I wonder?” he said. And adjusting his spectacles he took up the Guardzan. What can be more dreadful than to see your grandest resolutions slipping down the vast abyss of another person’s habitual indif- ference P “Papa, I am quite in earnest. I wish to go,” cried Joan in a tone so excited it verged on despair. “Hush—sh! Don’t shout in that way, Joan,” remonstrated Gertrude, while Mr. Hammond laid down his paper with an air of resigned annoyance. “And where is the money to come from, may I ask?” he en- quired judicially. ‘‘T have my legacy,” said Joan. “Oh!” After this there was another pause. ‘The Haimmonds were not stingy, and there was a great community of small services among them. Gertrude and Edith had both made Joan little presents out of their legacies, and they felt slightly hurt at the idea of her wishing to spend all her own upon herself. “T feel that I should succeed,” continued Joan timidly. “You do?” ssaid’her father. “““Experience may téach you ‘the contrary, my dear.” “Then I may go,” urged the giil. “Really,” said Mr. Hammond, much put ott, “you are very peculiar. Go? You seem to think it is nothing to go to Munich.” ‘The journey is easy enough,” observed Mr; Payne. Cconniclooolks (SO)