The Argosy — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

242 Court N etherleigh. beautiful—or if it will even be anything like this?” came the dreamy remark from the invalid. ‘Ah, Grace, I suppose I shall soon know now.” Lady Grace checked a sigh. She thought it best to be cheerful. The shuttle had to be threaded again, and she got up to reach the ball of thread. | ‘Who was your letter from this morning, Gracie? Annis said you had one: from ‘ foreign parts’ she took care to inform me.” Grace smiled. ‘Yes, I had, Aunt Margery ; I had forgotten it for the moment. It was from Harriet. They are still in Switzerland, and mean to stay there.” ‘“‘T thought they were to go to Rome for Christmas.” ‘But Adela objects to it so much, Harriet says; so they intend to remain where they are, in the desolate old chateau. They have made it as air-tight as they can, and keep up great wood fires. Adela shrinks from meeting the world, and Rome is unusually full of English.” | “‘ How is Adela?” “Just the same. Worse, if anything; more sad and spiritless. Harriet begins to fear she will become really ill; she seems to have a sort of low fever upon her.” “Poor girl!” sighed Margery Upton. ‘ How she has blighted her life! I had a letter, too, this morning,” she resumed, “ from Mrs. Lynn. She is very ill; thinks she cannot last much longer— Francis told me so when he was here last week. I wonder”—in a half whisper—‘‘which of us will go first, she or I? I wonder whether either of us will last out to see Christmas ?” ‘Was Mr. Grubb here last week, Aunt Margery ?” ‘For a few hours. I like him to come to me sometimes ; he is a great favourite of mine. Grace, do you know what I have often wished—that that old story, that he proposed for you, had been fact instead of misapprehension. With you he would have found the happiness he missed with Adela.” A flush passed over Grace’s fair, placid face. She bent her head: there appeared to be a knot in the tatting. ‘Marriages are said, you know, to be made in heaven,” she remarked, looking up with a smile; ‘so I conclude that all must have been right. Were the years to come over again, Adela would act very differently. She—oh, Aunt Margery, the beautiful feathery sprays are disappearing !” “Ay; the sun has come out, and melts the snow. few pleasant things last long in this world, child; something or other comes to mar them. But I thought you meant to go to Moat Grange this morning, Grace. You should start at once; it has struck eleven.” “T said I should like to see Selina, and to call on Mrs. Cleveland on the way.” ECONMIECLIOO KS, Eo