The Argosy — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. 345 come from, and has no character. And there was Miss Agate crying and laughing over the baby, and saying to it, ‘that she might hope her nephew would get the same measure she’d give it.’ Was I to drag it out into misery? I knew I ought—but I didn’t—and Miss Agate, she knows now, sir, and she forgives me. She never said one bitter word when it all came out last night. Only she said to Mr. Philip Connell, ‘Spare nothing to get Evelyn justice first, and then mercy.’ ” ‘God help thee, poor soul!” said the Minister. ““T’ve been punished,” plained poor Mary; ‘‘punished sad and sore. Couldn’t I always see how my darling child despised poor low people like me? And later she got to hear of Eldred Sloam from Mr. Raven, and she zwou/¢d talk about him: ’twas as if some in- stinct told her he was her father! ‘Then came letters telling Miss Agate that there would be mischief if Evelyn stayed on here. Oh, if the mistress had only heeded me then! But Miss Gertrude would have listened had she known what good right I had to speak.” The gentlemen conferred together. ‘‘ One cannot help fancying that there may be something in this poor creature’s early conjecture that her babe was wanted to be a changeling at the Court,” said Mr. Connell. “This puts us on the tract of suspicions already awakened, Philip.” ‘“ It does more than that,” answered the young man ; “‘ for I have more facts than you know yet. Mrs. Raven did not meet with Evelyn so entirely in the common way of advertisement as we think. Mr. Dewe there will tell you of incidents preceding that advertisement ; incidents which led up to Mrs. Raven sitting in ambush in his office and getting a sight of Evelyn Agate without the girl’s knowledge. ‘These incidents, coupled with all we know, in- cline me to the belief that there was some dark work on that fourth of September, twenty-two years ago ; and what is more, that A7rs. Raven knows it. I should have thought that it might be but some plot that was never carried out, but for some recent actions of Mrs. Raven’s, which show her to be ill at ease with things as they exist. Who could furnish any particulars of the time when Frank was born, I wonder ? ” “We were talking over that last night,” said Mr. Connell. ‘ Mr. Toynbee says that at Frank’s birth there was nobody with Mrs. Raven but Charity Hale.-—Could Charity Hale have been. the woman who met Hester Walker ?” ‘Charity Hale is short, and she limps,” said the Vicar. ‘“ But what does all this mean? What do you suspect next ?” “That Frank may not be the real child of the Squire and his wife,” whispered Philip. ‘‘That was what the fortune-teller told him at Coltburn.” “Bless my soul!” exclaimed the Vicar, in sheer dismay. ‘“‘ Had this servant-woman, Hale, any near relative—any confidante whom she might safelyemploy?” asked Mr. Dewe in clear business tones. “It is possible we may find some other person with a strong motive for removing this young gentleman, Mr. Frank Raven, out of the way.” COMMICOOOKS. EO mn