The Argosy — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

Seer A OR Ge) SS YX: GULLY 0 FOSG WINIFRED POWER. CTPA PTE RA VX: LADY HATHERLEY. \ { ISS DALLAS to be Lady Hatherley!” ‘That girl!” “A governess!” ‘‘Perhaps an adventuress!” ‘ Beautiful.” ‘‘T never admired her.” ‘Sir John has better taste.” ‘Sir John must be in his dotage.” ‘‘She’s magnificent.” ‘‘ Very bad style.” ‘ Clever, too, by Jove.” ‘A flippant intriguer.” ‘You are prejudiced.” ‘You are blinded.” ‘You are jealous.” ‘‘Of what, I should like: to know ?” Thus in a crescendo of horror; with a chorus of depreciation ;. was the astounding news of Sir John Hatherley’s impending marriage received by the inhabitants of Elmsleigh. To say that Mrs. Hatherley, and Flossie with her, nearly went out of their minds, is but feebly to describe the height, depth and extent of their amazed exasperation. Mrs. Hatherley came out in quite a new character, so extraordinary was the activity which she displayed in going from house to house, pouring into the ears of her acquaint- ances the various innuendoes and suggestions concerning Gertrude once conveyed to her by Mrs. Chandos-Fane, now Mrs. Burton. Not all her angry spite, however, could give her the courage to. remonstrate with Sir John; but she did try to convey to Mark the. essence of Mrs. Burton’s communications. Needless to say, she tock nothing by the move. Mark asked a few sharp questions which scattered Mrs. Hatherley’s wits, and demonstrated the insufficiency of her information. Coldly remarking then that accusations so grave required some stronger proof before they could be even considered,, far less believed, he dismissed the subject, and maintained unbroken. the attitude of courteous reserve which he had assumed from the first moment of learning his father’s intentions. Mark could not be ex- pected to welcome these with any cordiality; nor did he; but his fastidious disinterestedness made him shrink from all appearance of VOL.: XXXVI. COMGOOOkKXS.CO