The Argosy — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

A Country Heart. — IQI usual run of Torferry girls as a denizen from another planet could have been. Half the girls in the place had white gowns for Sundays, but this one neither stuck out in front through too much starch, nor dropped down on the sides for lack of it; it hung in some mysterious grace- ful way which made it look just the night thing for the old country church and the blazing August day. ‘There were lilac touches about it too; not aggressive bows and ends, but suspicions of colour at once cool and gay, and a shady hat with some white muslin round it, which Mrs. Briscoe afterwards in vain tried to achieve for her two nalf-grown girls with three or four yards of the finest muslin to be had in the town, and a dozen of lace that you would scarcely have known to be imitation ! Bond Street had twisted the muslin on Miss Verey’s hat, and Regent Street had fashioned the inimitable simplicity of her dress, and both went to set off a face and figure which all modistes agreed it was a nleasure to decorate. No wonder Harry Tredennick, facing down the church from the Squire’s square pew alongside the altar, heard little of service or sermon, and went near to forgetting his weekly duty of carrying round the offertory bag. He had never felt shy about this duty before, but somehow on this Sunday he half wished that Mark Rowe, the Briscoe’s factotum, would collect both sides; it seemed such a boyish thing for the ‘‘ young squire ” to be doing—as if he were still Briscoe’s pupil, as he had been a few years ago, when the custom arose. However, as one side of the church was evidently awaiting him and his bag, he was forced to go through with it, receiving the sticky pennies, and the elusive threepenny pieces which had been cherished all the morning in the palms of cotton gloves or the knotted corners of handkerchiefs, and a shilling from the stranger lady, who did not seem a bit flustered by the presentation of the red velvet watch pocket. Harry stood staring at her hand, with its long wrinkled glove, the ruffles of lace above, where a little rim of white arm gleamed, and the wonderful serpentine twists of gold bracelet. Miss Verey had handed him back the bag and in another moment she looked at him inquiringly, wondering why he still delayed. The boy turned crimson and hurried on, he hardly knew how. The lady only thought: ‘‘ What a good-looking boy; reading with the clergyman most likely. He will do for boating.” After this first encounter, the next step was not difficult where the young man had the “ ‘T’redennick will,” and the young lady was bored, and consequently accessible. ‘The Briscoes called at Myrtle Bank on the London ladies, and Miss Verey returned the visit on be- half of her mother, and having brought no umbrella, was very glad to accept Mr. Tredennick’s escort back, when a sudden storm caught her a few steps from the vicarage, where Mr. Tredennick and his umbrella had been lying in wait. He did not see any need to ex- plain, but he knew the climate sufficiently to be on his guard even on (EO) MIICLOOOKS Co)