The Argosy — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

Adonais, Q.C. 75 Gabrielle Ryan—you love him. This is the end of your boastful intrigue. And he has given you his heart: the truest heart in England! he loves you. It is your heart now; and what must you do with it? not crush it. This is the end of it all; you have promised yourself to Roland Vaughan, and you must keep to your promise. Oh misery! is there no hope? even yet is there not any hope? None; you must keep to your plighted word. You know Roland Vaughah ; you know what he has done for your father, and mother, and sisters, all for your sake; with a sneer on his lips, still all for your sake. And besides, listen: you dare not give him up; you dare not, Gabrielle Ryan. Oh misery, misery ! and I love you, Oliver, as man was never loved.” Ever hurrying nearer, at last he isclose. She sees him, and bends suddenly and eagerly forward.—‘“‘ Mr. Adonais !” ‘** Gabri— Miss Gabrielle, how are you ?” ‘‘T am quite well.” Then comes a pause and they look at each other; the words take long to rise sometimes when hearts are full. Gabrielle seizes on the first thing which strikes her. “Mr. Adonais! Look at your coat!” * Yes; somebody has been painting it for me.” * But how ? What a pity!” | “Oh no, I rather liked it; it brought things to my mind.” She looked at him wonderingly. “ What things P” He smiled. ‘‘ Well, I can’t tell you exactly. Perhaps the pale blue flowers that grew by thousands about the river at the foot of your garden ; the flowers amongst which you and your sisters used to sit in the summer evenings to revel in the sweetness of their per- fume.” She laughed and coloured slightly. ‘‘ Now that is absurd, Mr. Adonais !” and, glancing hastily round: ‘ My sister is in one of these shops. Where are you going? Can we drive you anywhere ?” The sunshine laughed in his eyes. ‘Thank you; but I don’t know where I am going exactly.” Mrs. Featherstonhaugh was coming out; Gabrielle turned to her. ‘Claire, here is Mr. Adonais. He was hurrying along rapidly, although he doesn’t know where he is going, he says.” And all of a sudden, because her heart was beating wildly, and she was struggling for calmness, struggling to quell the misery which was ever there, and to still the flash of joy now illuminating it; suddenly, because these things oppressed her, and would have an outlet, Gabrielle Ryan burst into a rippling peal of laughter. And he, knowing not what had caused it, laughed too. And Mrs, Featherstonhaugh stood, pale and cold as an icicle, between them. “ The fact is,” said Adonais; ‘‘the fact is, I was going to call upon you, Mrs. Featherstonhaugh.” CONMIEIOOKS (E(@) m