The Argosy — page 301: what you’re looking at

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

280 My Saturdays. on behaving like an idiot, and making myself miserable with distrust- ing my darling, if it hadn’t been for the terror they cost me. But I hope you will never make me live through such an afternoon again,” ‘“‘T never will, indeed,” promised Imogen. They sped down the river, the banks sliding swiftly past them as stream and oarcarried them home. You will not ask to hear what they said to each other, if I could tell; and if I had been listening, I would not be such a traitor. The pale and shivering group of watchers at the landing-place had not moved. Lady Anderton had wept herself torpid, and was lean- ing against Lady Jacobs in a sort of exhausted doze. I felt worn out too, and had ceased to strain my eyes through the dusk, when Rhoda said in a low, excited tone: ‘‘I hear oars !” ‘Tt may not be our boats,” I said wearily; but I roused myself as the sound came nearer. ‘The creak of the straining rowlocks, the quick splash, had something peculiar in their sound of haste which awakened us all. The boat grew out of the dark water ; we all sprang to our feet as it glided near, and Imogen cried out before we couldsee her: ‘Mamma, I am here!” Lady Anderton rushed down the little wooden steps, and nearly precipitated herself into the boat. Archie caught her, and held her up while Imogen sprang out and threw her arms round her; and then - there ensued a confusion of embraces and handshakings, out of which Archie emerged, sure that he had been kissed by Rhoda, not at all sure that he had not been kissed by Lady Anderton, and only certain that he had escaped Lucilla. He remarked afterwards that it was good practice for getting married, and he should now be quite hard- ened to anything that might happen on his wedding-day. Poor Lucilla, indeed, was not in a mood to be formidable to any- body. She was horribly ashamed of her conduct in the whole affair ; and after giving Imogen one hearty kiss, slipped away without saying anything to anyone else. It did her good on the whole; she was much quieter, and consequently more ladylike, afterwards ; and I never saw another piece of spitefulness. Mr. Merton and the doctor took their departure—the latter in his heart somewhat disappointed that he had not had an opportunity of “ bringing round” Miss Moville. Rhoda had run away to her own house next door, as soon as the kissing was over; and the rest of us went in to compose our minds and recruit our bodies with the one universal solvent—Tea. Imogen smoothed Lady Anderton’s ruffled plumage, and settled her on the sofa, where she cared for her with a tender daughterliness that I think was new to both, and which probably owed something to a few hasty words gasped out between sobs and kisses. Archibald hovered round them, waiting on both in a somewhat different fashion from the formal attendance of the afternoon. At last we heard Imogen’s story con- nectedly, as it has been already told. ECOPMICLIOO; KS, Eo)