The Argosy — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

Mr. Landon. 273 around them, and birds sang above their heads. An intricate net- work of green leaves broke the sky up into little pieces of sparkling blue light, each one of which brought to Mabel’s heart a promise of some fresh happiness. ‘The path became narrower, and Mr. Landon fell behind her, while a soft sweet silence took the place of their former animated conversation. Suddenly she turned round to speak to him, and there he was pointing at her with his forefinger, and making the same horrible grimaces that had startled her the day before. Every feature of his face seemed altered, his complexion looked grey, while the very colour and shape of his eyes appeared changed by the demoniacal contortions. ‘There was something so shocking in seeing such a creature as this standing behind her and pointing at her in this cool and beautiful wood, and with all the thoughts and feelings in her mind called up by their previous conver- sation, that Mabel could not bear it and screamed aloud. Mr. Landon turned quickly aside, and, stretching his arm up into a tree, brought down a lovely branch of honeysuckle. When he turned towards her again he had his own face, and he presented — the flowers to her with his own peculiar bright, sweet smile; but she thought she saw that his lip was quivering, and that drops of per- spiration stood on his forehead. ‘Mr. Landon,” she. said, timidly, really not knowing how to proceed. ‘What is it, my dearest ?” was the reply. “Why did you—why do you—?” and she hesitated and stopped again, from the extreme difficulty of putting the fact into words, and of asking her lover why he made horrible faces, and pointed at her whenever her back was turned. ‘“‘T did nothing, dearest,” he answered in a tone of tender reproof. Don’t be fanciful, my Mabel.” Fanciful! Was she fanciful? Could she twice have fanceed such a thing as that? But how could she tell him? What could she say? Silenced but not convinced, and decidedly frightened, she led the way into a walk by which they would soon reach home. But Mr. Landon was at her side again as quickly as possible, and his delight- ful conversation had almost effaced the impression made by his strange behaviour before they had arrived at the Rectory gate. Her spirits, however, did not quite recover themselves, and she. was pale and thoughtful when, after the usual evening toilettes had’ been performed, the party assembled for tea. After this, two or three days passed away pleasantly enough, and‘ Mabel began to recover herself, and to feel more at her ease. Mr. Landon was making all the world fond of him; he was so bright and” cheerful, so conformable—no slight merit in a new member of a large - family party—fell into all their ways so naturally ; while his conversa- - tion, his opinions, and his evident standard, were all higher and better than those of nine young men out of ten. Hewasalso desperately in VOL, XXXIII. | T COMMICOOOKS:¢c©