The Argosy — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

Winifred Power. I7I “‘ Gertrude!” cried Mr. Dallas, turning his anger upon her. ‘‘ Go to your room, and stay there.” “7 /” Gertrude exclaimed. ‘“‘I?” “You,” replied her father. ‘When you are by, there is neither peace nor quiet of late; neither decent behaviour nor civil speech.” The girl stood for one moment transfixed with amazement and a bewildering sense of wrong. Then, as an ill-timed and triumphant giggle from the appeased Georgie met her ear, she turned and rushed away, banging the door behind her. Winifred made a movement to follow her, but Mr. Dallas inter- posed. ‘Let her be, for Heaven’s sake,” he said. ‘‘ But that insanity is unknown in our family, I should really tremble sometimes for that child’s future reason. Her storms of passion are unbearable.” Poor Mrs. Dallas, with trembling hands, and murmuring that ¢hzs time it was not Gertrude who was in fault, restored something like order to the tea-table, rang the hand-bell for fresh cups, and invited everybody to sit down. She crept away presently with Gertrude’s tea to the culprit’s room, but returned in a grieved way, shaking her head. The door was locked, and she had been denied admittance. Except by herself and Winifred, Gertrude was not missed. Mr. Dallas himself was in delightful spirits. He always was thus in the presence of family misfortune; that was one of his peculiarities. He even rallied Richard, who sat abstracted and silent, and launched out into brilliant disquisitions on things in general, and all that he intended to do with them. | Tea over, Winifred rose to go. ‘I will call Gerty. She would be so sorry not to say good-bye to you,” said Mrs. Dallas, eagerly. Winifred knew that the goings and comings of the entire world were at this moment matters of supreme indifference to the indig- nant Gertrude. But too good-natured to contradict, she waited. Mrs. Dallas returned, looking disturbed. ‘‘ Gertrude’s room is empty,” she cried. ‘‘She must have gone out.” ‘Alone ? and at this hour!” exclaimed Mr. Dallas. “Well, I cannot find her.” , Gertrude had slipt out unobserved. Hortense, the servant, and Winifred’s own maid, in high converse in the kitchen, had heard the outer door close softly, but did not know who had gone out: had thought it was one of the gentlemen. “I expect she has only gone to the Bonnards’,” suggested the mother, the Bonnards being great friends of Gertrude’s. ‘“‘ But she ought not to go at this hour,” said Mr. Dallas. Pre- sently the bell tinkled, and ‘‘ Here she is!” they exclaimed. How- ever it was not Gertrude, but a note from her to her mother, brought by a commissionaire, who said there was no answer. Mrs. Dallas opened the note; then stood up scared and speechless. Richard took it from her. ‘Read it out,” said Mr. Dallas to his son: and he obeyed. ECORnnicloooks (CO)