The Argosy — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

Mrs. Raven’s Temptation. — 25 himself, have so-much weight with him? To be sure it came com- mended by her sweet face and patient, cheerful life ; which, since he knew what he knew of her losses and sorrows and heroisms, seemed to him as a life bearing witness of the goodness of God. ‘‘Miss Cleare,” he said to her, lingering in the morning-room after breakfast, while she was busily correcting one of her pupil’s exercises, ‘does it puzzle you very much if people don’t always act as if they saw things in what you see to be the right light ?” Alice laughed aloud. ‘ Do you mean to insinuate that I always think I am right ?” she asked merrily. ‘No, no, certainly not,” he answered, flushing, as he saw how easily his speech could bear this playful interpretation, and felt how hard it was to express his real meaning. ‘‘ No, no; but would you inagine that anybody must surely set very light value on your opinions if they did not entirely follow them out?” Alice was quite grave now. She looked up at him with her pure, sweet eyes, as she answered, ‘‘I should be quite satisfied with what- ever anybody did, if I felt sure they were only seeking to do what was right and kind. Opinions may differ about details, but I think those who honestly seek to follow good and escape evil are sure to meet at the goal. Opinions change, too. Some matters which I once deemed harmless, I now think wrong, and in what I once thought I saw harm, I now see none.” “It is not always easy to know what is right,” Frank observed. Alice went on diligently with her work. ‘‘To do that which teally seems to us right is the surest way to learn what is best, I believe,” she said timidly ; ‘‘ though in the course of the lesson we may have to undo our own work.” “Thank you, Miss Cleare,” said Frank. ‘So, if I do my best, you will be really satisfied with me—though my best may be poor enough! There have not been too many people satisfied with me yet!” he added, a little sadly. From this conversation, he went, without speaking to Philip, straight off to Daylight Villa. He didnot like his errand, but he had, in a manner, promised to go, to help Louisa—not but that it was a bit of a puzzle to him, a thing he had never understood quite clearly, how anything the witch might communicate to himself would relieve Louisa’s state of nervous terror. Would the strange woman refuse to see him again? If so, he could not help it. He would not allow himself to think whether he would be glad or sorry ; or even whether, or no, he expected another denial. But this time the untidy serving-girl opened wide the door. “* Madame is at home,” she said, ‘‘and quite disengaged.” (Zo be continued. ) CORNICE SOOKS (GO