The Argosy — page 366: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. 343 ‘And her real name ” interrupted Mr. Toynbee, eagerly. ‘‘Ts Hester Walker. She was once in service near here, and dis- appeared suddenly. Do you remember the story, sir?” “Perfectly,” said the Vicar. ‘‘Mr. Connell knows that I had already discovered a likeness between the lost Hester Walker and this unfortunate girl Evelyn ; though there is not much now,” he said, with a pitying glance at the scared, suffering face, old before its time. Mary Davies saw and understood that look. She had known the Vicar, of old. She stepped forward to speak, crying bitterly : ‘Oh, sir, save my girl! she can’t be guilty. Some bad people must have got hold of her as they got hold of me. I don’t say she has not done wrong—it’s only when we do wrong that tempters can seize us and drag us farther down. But save her! save her! Oh, sir, such a little help might have saved me!” In her eager importunity, the unhappy woman had laid her tremb- ling hands on the Vicar’s arm. He looked kindly into the convulsed, imploring face. He remembered Hester Walker, and he knew Evelyn Agate. ‘There were far different elements at work in the two —elements which would make their respective temptations absolutely incomprehensible to each other. But he could not say this now, he could only console. “Vour daughter shall have the utmost help and justice, Mrs. Davies. Fear nothing on that score.’ ‘‘But Mrs. Davies has a story to tell which may explain a great deal to us,” observed Philip, drawing chairs round the table. ‘ And ‘we might as well invite in the solicitor I have brought down, before we begin our conversation. There is no harm in his hearing the facts Over again. Re-statement often brings out something new. Budd, go and ask Mr. Dewe to step this way. Mr. Dewe,” he explained, in an aside to his father and the Vicar, ‘‘has been now employed by Miss Agate’s wish, and it appears that it is not the first time he has been at Ravenscourt; though I must tell you all about that afterwards. A thoroughly respectable man is Mr. Dewe. Dewe and Creed is one of the first legal firms. This sort of work is not in their usual line.” Mr. Dewe came in. He bowed, and took a seat beside Philip. The Vicar had been talking in a low tone to Mary Davies. “T can guess Sloam was harsh and cruel to you, poor woman,” he said, “ Aye, sir,” she answered. ‘‘ There seemed nobody to turn to in my trouble. And there came always that woman tempting me—saying she would take my baby and get it a good home, and leave me free for honest work. I did what I did for the child’s sake.” “ But what about that woman?” asked the Vicar. ‘‘ Who was she? You say she came to you. Where did you first see her?” “IT never knew who she was, sir. I saw her first in Ash Lane. COMIC OOO SS (C@) im