The Argosy — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

2395 The Fabric of a Vision. His voice seemed to shake a little as he threw himself into an arm chair at the other end of the room. ‘‘What’s the matter?” I said. “I am afraid you’ve overtired your- self, Edward. I wish I had gone with you.” “Yes, that’s just what it is,” he replied, hurriedly. ‘I am over- tired, and I feel quite faint. Just ring, Mary, will you ?” I rang; and he ordered some champagne, whereat I was rather as- tonished, for he rarely took anything after dinner. ‘““We both seem rather dull,” he said, explanatorily, as the man left the room. “It’s my fault for having been away from you so long. I was an idiot to go out. I can’t get on without my wife.” “Then I wonder you ad stop out so long,” I said. ‘“ You could have come back ages before, if you had wanted to do so.” ‘“T lost my way,” he replied, ‘‘and went further than I intended.” Then the waiter came in with the champagne and glasses and two tall candles on a tray. By the light from these last I thought Edward looked very, very tired. I dislike champagne and would not have any, and he went on drinking glass after glass and talking in a rather inconsequent way till the bottle was finished. I was rather cross at having been alone all the evening, perhaps: and perhaps his London business had tired him as much as his walk ; but there was a cloud between us, the first since our marriage. Until now there had always been between us such a perfect sympathy and rapport. He seemed far off from me as he sat there, talking. I felt sure that all that champagne could not be good for him. That night—I suppose about two o’clock—I woke to find myself sitting up in bed, trembling with horror, my heart beating tumult- uously. | ‘‘ What is it?” said Edward, in a very wide-awake voice. ‘‘ What- ever is the matter, Mary ?” ‘“‘T have had such a horrible dream!” I replied, as soon as I could steady my voice. ‘‘ Did I say anything, Edward ?” “No: you only gave a blood-curdling scream. What was your dream about?” “ Oh—it was a nightmare,” I said, lying back on the pillow and holding my heart with both hands. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. Did I wake you ?” | “No, I’ve not been asleep. Don’t throw your arms up again, Mary, but try and go to sleep. You won’t dream it again, that’s certain: nightmares never come twice.” I closed my eyes obediently, but only to conjure up again and again the picture that dream had shown me. This is what I saw _ over and over again, through the hot, still, moon-white hours :— First a broad grassy field, through which ran a dark smooth stream. There was a wooden bridge over it, and just below this the river ran over a shelving ledge of rock and went smoothly down in an unbroken EOMIGIOOKS (EO) nN |