The Argosy — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

112 A Mystery. ‘“We are on our way to call on William Brook,” cried the Squire, as we sat down, and Aunt Hester was taking up her work again. “On William Brook !—why, what do you mean?” she exclaimed. ‘Has he come?” ‘You don’t mean to say you did not know it—that he has not been to see you ?” cried the Squire. “YT don’t know a thing about it; I did not know he had come; nobody has told me,” rejoined Aunt Hester. ‘As to his coming to see me—well, I suppose he would not feel himself at liberty to do that until Mr. Delorane gave permission. When did he arrive? | am so glad.” ‘‘ And he is not much behind his time, either,” observed Tod. ‘ Not at all behind it, to speak of, only we were impatient. The truth is, I caught somewhat of Ellin’s fears,” added Aunt Hester, looking at us over her spectacles, which she rarely wore higher tham the end of her nose. ‘‘ Ellin has had gloomy ideas about his never coming back at all; and one can't see a person perpetually sighing away in silence, without sighing a bit also for company. Did he get here this morning? What a pity Ellin is at Worcester !” We told Aunt Hester all about it, just as we had told Darbyshire, but not quite so curtly, for she was not in a hurry to be off to a poisoned patient. She dropped her work to listen, and took off her spectacles, looking, however, uncommonly puzzled. ‘¢What a singular thing—that you should chance to have been in Dip Lane just at the time they were !—and why should they have chosen that dreary route? But—but i ‘ But what, ma’am ?” cried the Squire. “Well, I am thinking what could have been St. George’s motive for concealing the news from me when he came round here last night to tell me he had left Ellin safely at Philip West’s,” replied she. ‘Did he say nothing to you about William Brook?” ‘ Not a word. He said what a nasty drive home it had been in the teeth of the storm and wind, but he did not mention William Brook. He seemed tired, and did not stay above a minute or two. John was out.—Oh, here 1s John.” Mr. Delorane, hearing our voices, I suppose, came in from the office. Aunt Hester told him the news at once—that William Brook was come home. ‘“T am downright glad,” interrupted the lawyer emphatically. ‘What with one delay and another, one might have begun to think him lost : it was September, you know, that he originally announced himself for. What do you say?”— his own words having partly drowned Aunt Hester’s—‘St. George drove him home last night from Worcester? Drove Brook? Nonsense! Had St. George brought Brook he would have told me of it.” | ‘But he did bring him, sir,” affirmed Tod: and he went over the history once more. Mr. Delorane did not take it in, CONMIELNCKO_ KS, (E0) m