The Argosy — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

194 A Mystery. second letter came from Charles Brook. It was written to his mother this time. He asked for news of William; whether he had, or had not, arrived at home. The next West Indian mail packet, steaming from Southampton, | carried out a letter from Mr. St. George, written to his cousin in Kingston, Jamaica, at the desire of Mr. Delorane: at the desire, it may with truth be said, of ‘Timberdale in general. ‘The same mai} also took out a letter from Reginald Brook in London, who had been made acquainted with the trouble. Both letters were to the same purport—an inquiry as to William Brook and his movements, more particularly as to the time he had departed for home, and the vesse} he had sailed in. In six or eight weeks, which seemed to some of us like so many months, Mr. St. George got an answer. Huis relative, Leonard St George, sent rather a curious story. He did not know anything of William Brook’s movements himself, he wrote, and could not gain much reliable information about them. It appeared that he was to have sailed for England in the Dart, a steamer bound for Liver- pool, not one of their regular passenger packets. He was unable, however, to find any record that Brook had gone in her, and believed he had not: neither could he learn that Brook had departed by any other vessel. A friend of his told him that he feared Brook was dead. ‘The day before the Dart went out of port, a young man, who bore out In every respect the description of Brook, was drowned in the harbour. Comforting news! Delightfully comforting for Ellin Delorane, not to speak of Brook’s people... Aunt Hester came over to Crabb Cot, and burst into tears as she told it. But the next morning brought a turn in the tide; one less sombre, though uncertain still. Mrs. Brook, who had bedewed her pillow with salt tears, for her youngest son was very dear to her heart, received a letter from her son Reginald in London, enclosing one he had just got from the West Indies. She brought them to Mr. Delorane’s office during the morning, and the Squire and I happened to be there. ‘‘ How should Reginald know anything about it?” demanded St George, in the haughty manner he could put on when not pleased ; and his countenance looked dark as he gazed across his desk at Mrs. Brook, for which I saw no occasion. Evidently he did not like to have his brother’s news disputed. ‘Reginald wrote to Kingston by the same mail that you wrote,” she said. ‘He got an introduction to some mercantile firm out there, and this is their answer to him.” They stated, these merchants, that they had made due inquiries according to request, and found that William Brook had secured a passage on board the Dart; but that, finding himself unable to go in her, his business in Kingston not being finished,-he.34,,2.4h2,,