The Argosy — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

Winifred Power. : Il Presently two visitors were announced to her, and Lady Hatherley, accompanied by her brother, walked in. Winifred sprang up with an exclamation of glad surprise. “Sir John has retired to bed, knocked up by the journey, and Gerty, rather to the poor mother’s mortification, it must be owned, insisted upon coming round to you,” hastily explained Richard. Gertrude loosened her cloak, and sank listlessly into a chair. She had hardly responded to Winifred’s greeting, and looked pale and a little sullen. ‘We think that marriage and fine clothes have greatly improved Gerty’s appearance,” politely remarked Dick, at the end of a rather embarrassed pause. ‘But not my temper,” said the bride, with one of her old scornful laughs. ‘Don’t be scandalised, Winifred: you show just your old air of horrified propriety. Papa and Mamma are quite unchanged. They flourish under adversity, like the Micawbers. I might think I had never left home, if it were not for —-—” She stopped .abruptly ; put her hand to her breast, as though something there oppressed her; and burst into wailing sobs. ‘There was no doubt about the genuineness of her emotion this time. Winifred startled, almost frightened, knelt down beside her, and took her hands, in a concerned effort at soothing. Richard began walking up and down the room. His indolent, kindly nature detested scenes. ‘Why the deuce did you marry him?” he asked, almost angrily. Gertrude raised her head, her eyes blazing through her tears, ‘I was a fool,” she said, violently. ‘‘Are we not a family of fools, branded with ineptitude and failure from our birth? I thought I should be an old man’s darling; lead him; cajole him; make all our fortunes. Dreams! dreams!” Involuntarily Winifred rose and stood away from her. She was not a Pharisee, but this outburst revolted her, stung her honesty. Dick, a Dallas to his finger-tips, for all his easy good-nature, just shrugged his shoulders, but in scorn, not in protest. ““T don’t see how you are to improve matters, Gerty, by these heroics,” he said. ‘‘ They are like your old tricks! The atmosphere of home seems to demoralise you.” She stopped sobbing at this ; very angry, as ever, at being treated with contempt. | | “Of course,” continued her brother composedly, ‘Sir John is not exactly a pleasing companion. I should say, looking at him dispassionately, you understand, that he is often an intolerable bore. What with his airs and his graces, his beard and his dressing-gown, and his essential deadness, he is not more amusing, and he is con- siderably more insupportable, than a galvanised mummy.” She threw an angry look at him. ‘‘T don’t conceal from you, Gerty, that I was rather surprised when I heard you were going to marry him,” continued Dick, lightly. CONnRICMHOOKS.EO