The Argosy — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

S6 The Mystery of Ailan Grale. beginning to tell me now. But, believe me, Charlie, true women like to be generous once or twice in their lives. I do believe that is why they so often cling to very worthless men—because those are always willing to be helped and served. You good men want to be always giving—and it is only the meanest of us who wish to be for ever get- ting. It ought to be mutual, both ways, or else one or the other misses the sweetest bit of life.” “Pll give you my manuscript to read this very evening, Leiigots decided Mr. Carr. They were in the Court Avenue now. General Vivian, who in the past few weeks had grown surprisingly better, and his wife were out driving, but Miss Vivian was at home. Everything about Maria seemed but the ghost of what it had been— her smile, her voice, her hand, all were ghostly. She received her visitors in the morning-room—that pleasant chamber where she had formerly spent so much of her time. But now it had somehow a dis- earded look; the flower-stand was empty, no signs of occupation lay about, for Maria stayed much in her own room. She kissed Lettice and asked after Agnes, and welcomed Charles Carr with a strange deprecating kindliness which made the young man feel quite shy. She seemed at a loss for conversation ; indeed it flagged with them all. Lettice asked Maria if her brothers were well. Yes, Maria answered, they were well: but George was not at home. He often ran away for a few days—young men liked change—and he was away now; she thought in Edinburgh. Of Edgar she made no mention by name. After this, topics of interest being apparently scarce, gossip was introduced. lLettice mentioned that she had seen Miss Grale a day or two ago, who had said that their young parlour-maid, Susan, was to be married, in the autumn, to Joe Massey. ‘‘Indeed,” said Maria, aroused to a faint interest, for Susan had been her best scholar in the Sunday school, and she liked the girl. *‘ It is rather premature, is it not? They are both young enough to wait a little.” “Of course they are,” assented Lettice ; ‘‘ and of course they have no prudence at all. Joe Massey has been raised to a better post and to better wages, and so they intend to take advantage of it.” “Ts Mrs. Massey pleased at it?” asked Maria. ‘“‘ Mrs. Massey is as pleased as she ever is about anything,” returned Lettice. ‘They have asked her to go and live with them in London, but she won't leave Dering.” ‘‘Qne reason that she gives as an objection -to move is, that she will not burden them with the expense of having to bring her back to bury her beside her old man,” interposed Charles Carr, with a slight laugh. ‘Mrs. Massey is fond of looking on the shady side, as you must know, Miss Vivian.” “ Yes,” replied Maria, faintly smiling. ‘She came here last week, CONNIE OOO KS (E(©) m