The Argosy — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. — 13 even leave Miss Evelyn Agate to find out that we haven’t set much store by the secret—that we would as lief tell it as not.” But Louisa still refused to be comforted. “ What a silly girl you are! I dare say Frank’s visit will bring us no end of mystification and fun. Afraid of not telling mamma, you say! Oh, come, it’s no such great crime that we have committed. [ll take it all upon myself—there! They can’t scold us much.” “T hardly know why I should feel like this, Philip.” ‘Tm sure I don’t. I should not be surprised if the father goes to see the Oriental lady himself: in the ordinary course of ministerial duty and scientific inquiry, you know. Cheer up, child.” “ Frank must go, Philip.” “Of course. Andif he’s afraid to visit the witch alone, I’ll go with him,” laughed Philip; ‘and if she won’t let me in to hear her revela- tions, I’ll wait at the door, and get them all hot when he comes out.” Louisa’s frightened face settled down into a faint smile. She was re-assured as easily as she was flurried. But she did not tell Philip that her chief trouble was connected with the young Italian, Marco Lear. Cowl Pol ER XxX XV; A FOREIGN TONGUE. FRANK RAVEN was in his own room, writing a letter to Leonard. During their brief absences from each other, the brothers had never corresponded. Frank made a mental note that this was the first letter which had ever passed between them. He would not have written now, but that he really wanted to know whether Leonard could find any clue to the identity of the figure Miss Cleare had seen in Ash Lane at Ravenscourt. Leonard was not a man to whom it would have been very easy to tell such a story, while Miss Cleare only had seen | it—a strange young lady, straying alone in lonely places. But the case was altered now; and Frank had resolved to leave no stone unturned to get at the bottom of the mystery. He had no doubt that Mrs. Connell and Miss Cleare had seen a becloaked man in the garden; he had not a shadow of doubt, either, that Miss Cleare had had good reason for believing that this figure was the one she had been frightened by in the Raven Lanes. He had as little doubt that the shriek, or cry, which had rung through the house, must have come from some one who had also seen this figure on the grass- plat, and been frightened by it. Could it have been his mother? Anyway, Frank thought it was his duty to endeavour to unravel the problem. Directly he appeared on the stairs—his letter, finished, in his hand —Philip pounced on him, and led him to the housekeeper’s room, where Louisa still lingered. They, the three cousins, could be toler- ably secure here of an undisturbed chat. EORnnicloooks (GO