The Argosy — page 300: what you’re looking at

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

My Saturdays. 279 “My darling! You are safe.” “Oh yes, quite safe,” she murmured. But I think the safety that she felt was not that of dry land, but of her lover’s breast. So they stood for a few perfect eternal moments—moments which brougnt with them no sense of time, and which would be immortal, ever ready to be lived over again. ‘The world was far away; they were at last each other’s, alone together in the river and the gathering twilight. When the answer came to Archie’s call, the boatmen rested on their oars, and smiled a quiet smile at each other; then they intercepted Archie’s boat, which was floating away unheeded ; and if they took a glance now and then at what was going on upon the island, why, it was only human nature—and after all, as the willows were high, and the light was fading, perhaps they did not see much. Imogen was naturally the first to return to this sublunary scene. When men do make fools of themselves, they do it much more com- pletely than women, who seldom quite forget the external world, especially if it has eyes. Roused by her, Archie looked for his boat, and with some confusion of face signalled to the men, who had it in safe custody, and brought it up with suppressed satisfaction. ‘“Glad to see you safe, miss,” said one of them, touching his hat. “Thank you for coming to look for me,” answered Imogen, pleasantly. ‘‘ Did you think I was drowned?” she asked, turning to Archie, “Indeed we did,” he replied, gravely. ‘‘ Of course I clung to hope, but when we came so high up the river, it became very faint.” ‘This was the highest point I reached,” she explained. ‘‘ There were some grand bulrushes growing on the island and in the water close to it, and I wanted them for winter nosegays. One particularly fine one I could not get at from the water, because the trunk of an old willow was in the way; so I got out, and pulled the canoe, as I thought, safely up on the bank—not quite out of the water, though. Then, while I was round on the other side of the island, one of those horrid steam-launches came past, and the wash of it carried off the canoe. When I came back, it was floating out of reach. Oh, I did feel so lost. But let us be off, and set poor mamma’s mind at ease. I can tell you the rest in the boat.” ‘“ Yes,” said Archie; “‘ we will go at once. My men, you must be tired and thirsty. Il take Miss Moville home, and you can geta glass of beer at the Swan. [I'll give you something better to remember this day by when I get back,” “Oh, my bulrushes!” cried Imogen: ‘I can’t leave them behind.” ‘“ Why not?” demanded Archie. ‘I shall hate the sight of them.” “Then you need not look at them. Iam not so ungrateful; I -shalltry and find out some process to make them last for ever.” ‘* After all, I believe I am grateful to them,” he said, coming back with the costly weeds. ‘I don’t know how long I might have gone GOnlGaooks (©)