The Argosy — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. IOI ‘The widow sat with open eyes and parted Ips. ‘Perhaps, madam, your memory does not serve you,” observed Mr. Creed. ‘‘The facts were these: In the autumn of eighteen hundred and thirty-five a family of the name of Agate, living in the house whence this Miss Agate now writes, lost an infant child. It was kidnapped on the very day of its birth, presumably by the ‘woman who had acted as nurse, since she disappeared at the same time, and could never be traced. Large rewards were offered for the child’s recovery. All England rang with the story.” ‘IT don’t remember hearing of this at all,” spoke Mrs. Raven, gathering what courage she could. ‘I do not read the papers much at any time, and I was 11] at that date.” Before her mind rose up a vision of those far back days, when she had lain in the hushed state chamber at Raven, with Frank upon her arm. She could see the Squire steal in, on tiptoe. She could hear Charity’s thin voice eagerly declaring that the dear lady had done justice to the old stock at last, and that the babe was no weakling this time, but a bonny boy. She could see herself, at hearing those words, turn upon her pillow, weeping bitter tears, and crushing and clutching the dainty sheets in her feeble hands. No! it was not Jikely she had read the newspapers. ‘You may be sure that such an incident had terrible effects on the bereaved family,” said Mr. Creed. _ ‘‘It was soon followed by a sad tragedy. But I need not go into that. It really had nothing to do with the boy who had been lost—or with the girl, either, who was found, almost exactly one year afterwards.” Mrs. Raven looked at him eagerly. ‘A girl was found!” “Yes; left on the doorstep. She is coming here with Miss Agate to-day.” ““Can I see these ladies when they come—without their knowing it? It is not desirable that they should see me.” | “Certainly it is not,” said Mr. Dewe. ‘We can arrange all that. You may see them through this little window. Pray observe that the clear stars on the ground glass give a command of the next room without revealing anybody who may happen to be on this side. It is really a very handy arrangement.” ‘Though I’m sure we never thought of such a use for it before,” interposed his partner. | ‘Is there any special question you would like put to these people, madam P” resumed Mr. Dewe. “Oh dear no,” said Mrs. Raven, with a strange shrinking; and the Observant solicitors thought she had seemed oddly timid and mis- trustful since the mention of the Agates. ‘‘ Yet I think I should like to ask about the mother of this boy, who, as you say, was kidnapped,” she added, as an afterthought. ‘Yes, and about the nurse: she who was suspected of kidnapping him.” Mr. Creed assented, and made one or two notes. Conniclbooolks (SO)