The Argosy — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. — 105 “You never asked what had become of the stolen boy’s mother,” she began, almost accusingly. ‘My dear madam,” exclaimed Mr. Creed, “I knew that. That was the most awful end of the tragedy. Directly after that baby was stolen, the husband, Theodore Agate, who had been already over- tasking himself with severe brain work, suddenly fell into a state of acute mania. In this terrible condition he rushed into the presence of his poor wife, and would have attacked her. ‘That was prevented, but the shock killed her. ‘The unhappy gentleman was confined for a while, and then he was given up to the care of his relatives. I could let you have an old newspaper with the whole story.” Mrs. Raven paced the little apartment. “Tt is all no use,” she said, “it will not do. I am frightened. It 1s not right that I should stir in this pursuit. Write to these people, please, and tell them your client has nothing to do with their matters : it was a mistake. Puta stop at once to anything more at present. Perhaps I may write again to you.” ‘Tt shall be exactly as you wish, madam,” remarked Mr. Creed cather coldly, as he showed her out of the room and downstairs, placing the newspaper beside her in the cab. She never even remembered to bid him a civil good morning. ‘Therefore she was in no condition to observe that the nunlike woman she had noticed on the Standchester platform was now quietly seated in a confectioner’s shop at the corner of the street. “Well,” said Mr. Creed to his partner, “‘ I never did like this class of work—never !” “Glorious lawsuits begin thus, though,” returned the other. ‘Glorious stirrings up of mud,” retorted Mr. Creed, ‘and the dirt is sure to splash in the wrong faces! Fancy my making that dear little woman open up all the old history of her household skeleton for nothing! And what is the meaning of Mrs. Raven’s present queer start? Did she have an hallucination when she began this quest P— or now when she has ended it P—or, as her son thinks, at the time she says it happened? Her bill shall be a pretty stiff one. I was afraid of some such work when we were to be called in for a special case that wasn’t to go to the family solicitors. I wish you would be more careful, Dewe!”’ And away, back to Ravenstoke, went Mrs. Raven of the Court, with only an old newspaper in her hand: but it seemed to her as if the porter’s cries, nay, the very wheels of the train, repeated four words she had read therein : ‘““The madman, Theodore Agate!” (To be continued.) cConniclooolks (SO)