The Argosy — page 328: what you’re looking at

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

In the Must. 311 Winnie coloured, and drew her hand away. ‘Walter, please say no more,” she interrupted. ‘I am not in the mood to listen just now.” sickvse His thin lips tightened. ‘‘ Will you ever be in the mood?” he questioned. “Some other time I may be—I don’t know; but certainly not now.” She put out her hand as she spoke. ‘‘ Don’t trouble. to come any further,” she added abruptly. ‘‘ Good-bye.” ‘Are you offended with me?” he asked, bending to look into her face. “No, but—but I would rather be alone.” ‘How white you are,” he exclaimed, as they shook hands; ‘‘and you are shivering. Are you cold ?” She laughed uneasily. ‘‘ No, it was only a nervous tremor. Some- one is walking on my grave, as the country people say.” He lingered a moment, twisting his neat little blonde moustache as he looked after her ; then, with a slight shrug, turned and walked slowly away in the opposite direction. I watched the girl’s retreating figure till the mist hid it from view, wondering if Noel was still waiting on Penravon Cliff, and whether there would be another angry scene when they met. As the thought crossed my mind I was conscious of a strange, un- comfortable feeling, such as I have experienced sometimes in a troubled dream ; a vague dread; a presentiment of some impending calamity which I was powerless to avert. I tried to shake it off, but it clung to me, assuming every moment a more definite shape. At length, yielding to an impulse I could not understand, I swung myself over the low wall, and followed ner. The mist was now so dense that I was obliged to proceed cautiously lest I should stray from the path, which at some points is dangerously near to the edge of the precipitous cliff. I had passed the spot where I parted from Tremaine, and was approaching the old tower, when a confused sound of voices reached me; voices I recognised, though the speakers were as yet invisible. “Winnie, don’t madden me! You know that I didn’t mean what I said. Take back the ring.” : ‘After you have insulted and threatened me? Never! No, you shall not force it on me; let go my hand—how dare you!” ‘“] dare anything rather than lose you.” ‘This is not the way to win me back. Let go my hand—you hurt me! Ah, take care, Noel! you will ——” The words broke off in a scream—a cry so wild and terrible that it went through my nerves like an electric shock. In another moment I was on the spot. Tremaine was standing, rigid and motionless as a figure carved in Stone, on the extreme verge of the cliff, gazing blankly into the depth below, where there was nothing to be seen but the drifting mist ; GOnlGaooks (C©)