The Argosy — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

82 Mrs. Raven's Temptation. absent ; and remembering that new grave at Ravenstoke, the young barrister kindly turned his light tongue to a graver tune. “Vou can’t think how welcome you are, Frank,” he said ; “ all the more so that I did not hope my letter would meet with so prompt a response—even if it got a favourable answer at all. We were often talking about you when I was lately at home in Coltburn, Frank. My mother thought it strange there should be sickness in our house and at Ravenscourt at the same time. And how are my aunt and Leonard ?” “Quite well, thank you,” Frank replied. ‘I had made up my mind to come to London before I got your invitation, Philip,” he added with some effort. ‘Indeed ?” said young Connell, his eyes widening. ‘To see me?” ‘‘T—-IT don’t know,” answered candid Frank. Philip Connell got an inkling that something had gone wrong, and with a ready and intelligent sympathy, for which everybody might not have credited that random youth, he pressed matters no further then, but set himself zealously to the performance of his part as host, talking about anything and everything: last night’s debate, the new novel, or the fresh play. Frank Raven listened and replied like a man in a dream. At length, tea over, the two lit their cigars, and drew their chairs to the window, set wide open in the sultry dusk. Frank felt like an impostor. He could not bear that Philip should continue to regard him as the well-provided son of Ravenstoke when he had begun to feel himself but a vague adventurer. With flushing cheek, Frank sat leaning forward, chin in hand and elbow on knee, gazing atthe moon. Philip leaned back; stealing, from time to time, an observant glance at his cousin. “Did you see my father’s will in the paper, Phil?” Frank asked in a low voice. ‘Well, I did,” said Philip. ‘Isaw it one day when there was a press of news, so that it was very prettily curtailed.” “T daresay my name was not mentioned at all,” Frank went on, with nervous resolution, “‘ for I come in for nothing at all now.” ‘That I call a downright shame! ” exclaimed Philip. ‘¢Teonard has the estate, of course. And my mother has all the money for her life-time, and I am to come in afterwards.” ‘Well, well,” said Philip, shaking out his meerschaum and refilling it, ‘that’s a queer arrangement. But, of course, she'll do handsomely by you. She couldn’t do less.” ‘‘Of course she would,” Frank eagerly assented. ‘‘ But I’ve made a fool of myself. I can’t deny that it did seem rather hard, but my father had every right to do what he would with his own. Only I’d been brought up to like a life that one can’t live upon nothing: and —and I don’t know what I’m fit for. A fellow cannot get a living by sitting well in the saddle, or by being a crack cricketer—not if he’s a gentleman!” Gomichbooksnco