The Argosy — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

264 Winifred Power. Meanwhile Winifred was telegraphing to Mrs. Dallas, but had only succeeded in reducing that gentle person to a condition of patient bewilderment. In fact she very nearly turned to look behind her own chair, which was the last thing that Winifred would have desired had she known what was going on there. So, at last, Georgie, who had understood at once what Winifred meant, rose, vanished, and presently returned with an air of great mystery. Her eyes were fixed on her father: a paper was half-concealed by the folds of her dress. It was Gertrude’s telegram. ‘“* Hallo ! what’s the meaning of this?” exclaimed Dick, after the telegram had been surreptitiously introduced into his hands by Georgie, while Mrs. Dallas asked Mr. Dallas the hour by his watch. ‘‘ When did this come ?” ‘Seven days ago, when you were first missing.” ‘What is it?” questioned Mr. Dallas. ‘‘ A telegram from Gerty ? What about? Is she going to separate from Sir John?” ‘“‘Tt’s a matter of no importance,” answered Dick, thrusting the paper into his pocket, and inflicting thereby intense disappointment on Georgie and some pangs of baffled curiosity on her mother. ‘We have not heard for some days from Gerty,” said the latter in her comfortable, maternal tones. ‘‘I daresay her new life is busier than her home one—poor child!” At this moment there was a knock at the door, and in marched Julie, the Dallases’ one servant. There were frequent crises in the household, and they never kept any servant long. ‘The present and out-going “young person” arrived with an air of unmistakeable temper; and her appearance created a kind of low, suffused groan. Mr. Dallas extracted his pocket-book to pay her her wages, previous to immediate departure, Georgie picked up the cat with an air of ostentatious indifference, Mrs. Dallas became absorbed in her work. ‘They were none of them on speaking terms with Julie, who had worsted them in several encounters. She stood like a statue while her money was counted out to her; took it and asked for her certificate. ‘‘ You shall have it,” said Mr. Dallas, with significant dignity, and wrote it. She read it when finished, and apparently was satisfied, for she plunged her hand into her pocket, uttered a “Tenez” of supreme contempt, and throwing several letters upon the table, stalked out of the room. Presumably she had sequestrated the Dallases’ correspondence for some days, intending to make away with it altogether if her claims to a presentable certificate were not satisfied. Georgie rushed at the letters with all the eagerness of a girl who receives one twice in atwelvemonth. ‘Two from Gerty, and black- edged! What can have happened !” They were torn open and eagerly devoured, amid general excite- ment. ‘Sir John ruined”— “Sir John dead” — “ Chloral’’— ‘“‘ Inquest ”—" Mrs. Hatherley’s behaviour”—‘ The conduct of the EOPMIGL LOOKS. (EC) m