The Argosy — page 291: what you’re looking at

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

270 Winifred Power. but my head was bewildered with all the other details. Did she give him any name ?” | ‘Yes ; a name so well known, at one time, in our family, that it alone made me doubt the genuineness of her tale. She called him Ralph Mercer.” “By Jove! Of course it is then our reprobate—my good little step-mother’s scamp of a brother. He was the only scamp that had appeared in the Mercer family for generations, and consequently plunged a large assortment of maiden aunts, ‘and half-sisters of domestic tendencies into the greatest possible consternation. He decamped to America, in comparative youth, with a sum of money borrowed, without the ceremony of asking, from his employers, and hardly large enough to have made the adventure worth its risks.” “Ves,” assented Mark, ‘‘and was only not prosecuted because those same employers had consideration for his family.” ‘They were in some way related, I think,” answered Dick, “I know their name was Redfern, and that was my step-mother’s maiden name. When she first married my father, and I was quite a little fellow, I remember this Ralph used to turn up at irregular intervals, always hungry, always needy, and to the same extent mysterious. The mother, ever anxious to think well of everybody, was greatly worried about him, but we have of late years not been favoured by him with any signs of life.” ‘Then you know nothing of his recent relations with Lady Hatherley ?” | ** Nothing whatever. Where can Gerty have met him?” Mark smoked for a little while in silence. “If he has been living by his wits, he may not be quite unknown to the police. In that case, to discover his present abode would be easy.” ~ “Stay,” said Dick. ‘Let us wait before applying to the secret intelligence department. Perhaps we shall get an answer to our advertisement.” Mark agreed, more than half divining Richard’s thought. Ralph Mercer was by no means the kind of relative upon whom it is advisable to turn the strong light of publicity ; and Gertrude, in her mingled audacity and inexperience, might be more compromised in some undertaking of his than her family would care to make known. The inquest on Sir John was resumed. But all the coroner’s _acuteness failing to discover anything, the jury finally gave a verdict of “Death from natural causes.” To be sure, Lady Hatherley’s disappearance was not accounted for; but it was ¢#e only suspicious circumstance: ‘One swallow does not make a summer:” and the first keen edge had worn off the public appetite for scandal. This happy result attained, Mark repeated the advertisement ; but with no effect. Meanwhile Mrs. Dallas wrote daily in growing alarm, and even Mr. Dallas began to show signs of anxiety. Consequently the two young men found themselves at last with no choice but to EGomichbookssco m a i i i =