The Argosy — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

208 Winifred Power. ‘*So soon,” said Mrs. Dallas. ‘* Yes,” answered Dolly, simply. ‘Good bye.” : Out of so dazed and laconic a mood there was no explanation to be had evidently. They kissed her, wished her good-bye, sent their love to Winifred. Dick accompanied her to the ante-chamber and gave her her sun- shade, then held out his hand in farewell. Dolly put her slender, ice-cold fingers into his grasp, and raised to his face eyes so frankly, so unconsciously mournful, that he stepped backwards in surprise. The change in her appearance since the previous evening suddenly struck him, but with no such swift thought of its cause. ‘* What is the matter? Are you ill?” ‘“‘ No—I—good-bye—I—oh, Mr. Dallas, will you really marry an heiress when you go to America?” burst out Dolly, rushing at the central horror of her thought with all the directness of a child. Dick stood dumbfounded, and his silence falling on the poor little listener’s heart like the stone of a sepulchre entombing all her hopes, she bent her face upon her hands and fairly sobbed aloud. ‘Why !” exclaimed Dick, as soon as he recovered his voice, ‘I did not know—I never thought—please don’t cry—marry an heiress? Heiresses are not so plentiful. Besides, I think I feel more like—now look up—you'll spoil your eyes—why, what a dear little thing you are!” And Dick, feeling that his surprise, his emotion, his disjointed phrases landed him in no satisfactory con- clusion; vividly conscious, moreover, of Dolly’s prettiness, and attracted by the very abyss of imprudence into which, as a Dallas, he was bound to plunge, abruptly stopped speaking, and folded the trembling form of the weeping girl to his side. At this interesting moment, almost before Dolly’s tears had time to change into a sob of rapture, there came a sharp ring at the bell. Dick, hastily releasing his companion, went to open the door and found Winifred on the threshold, looking rather excited. But, ob- servant always, she was quick to notice the signs of recent agitation in Dolly, and stayed her speech to glance swiftly at Dick. “ Oh, Winifred!” exclaimed Dolly, smiling and breathless, ** Mr. Dallas has got an appointment and is going to America.” “To America?” echoed Winifred. ‘Then understanding, or think- ing she understood, that this event was likely to bring Dolly’s affairs to a crisis, she smiled with frank pleasure. ‘‘I am so glad.” “Vou are very kind,” said Dick, with a quiet irony not far re- moved from bitterness. But Winifred, previously full of other thoughts, for once failed to catch the meaning of his tone. ‘‘ Dick,” she said, a moment later, turning to him, “read this puzzling telegram that I have just received from Mark. Gertrude has run away from The Limes.” ~ “Run away? Again! ‘There is a tendency to repeat themselves about my sister’s solutions of her difficulties,” said Dick, But in EGomichbookssco m