The Argosy — page 243: what you’re looking at

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

226 Her Francis.” Mabel knew that, in her place, she would have felt the same, but,, being in her own, she was not at all amused, was unaccountably sore, and certainly felt very foolish. Outside the church Helen began again. “You really do not know those men, Mabel ?” Mabel had grown wiser ; she only shook her head. “Then I may as well tell you that I know one of them—the one who spoke of the pretty voice and who also wore ¢he ulster—very well.” “No! do you really ?” cried Mabel, very eagerly. Helen was more than ever mystified. ‘‘ He is one of our neigh- bours at home,” she continued ; ‘‘so you will soon get to know some- thing more of him than his coat.” Life is not all art in Florence, and Mabel went to a dance that even-. ing where she might have thought herself in England but for a sprink-. ling of uniforms and some artistic and musical heads. The foreign element would have interested her had she not been on the look out for an English face. She believed herself to be very rational, yet she saw no face like her dream ‘ Francis,” and soliloquised on the folly of the English, who keep up their usual habits wherever they go. How could anyone dance all the evening after sight-seeing all day ? At that moment she heard Helen say : “Francis, come and be introduced to Mabel Talbot. Mabel, this. is another of my old friends, Mr. Grantley.” There was no weariness about Mabel now, and Helen wondered at the excitement which lit up the usually pale face and soft eyes. ‘Miss Keith tells me that this is your first visit to Italy,” said Mr. Grantley, when Helen had left them. Mabel summoned the courage to look up—looked and met the very same shrewd eyes which she had seen in her dream! But, together with the shock of her surprise, came the comforting reassurance that those eyes were looking at something quite new to: them. And indeed it was a very pleasant sight they looked at, but she was too full of her secret thoughts to notice the evident admiration she was causing. ‘‘Of course,” she was saying to herself, ‘‘as he was one of my fellow-travellers, I must have seen him without remembering it.” -And this practical explanation. of a seemingly mysterious occurrence restored her equanimity. She did not let their conversation rest long on a commonplace foot- ing, and very soon managed to introduce the word “ adventure.” ‘The days for adventure are over,” he said. “But not for odd things,” she returned, provoked into bold- ness. He threw back his head and laughed. ‘“ You are quite right, and! the oddest thing happened only the other day. I was a passenger in. that train which was stopped by the floods. Perhaps you may remember about it ?” EGOMIGIOOKS (EO) m