The Argosy — page 210: what you’re looking at

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

A Country Heart. Io A ip KaTE came down equipped for her walk. Marry had seen her in many costumes since the memorable white dress on that first Sunday, and each toilette, as it appeared from the arched travelling trunks above, seemed more marvellous and more becoming than the last. But Kate’s precaution against the rain threw all her other bewitch- ments into the shade. ‘The costume for wet weather which had held good in Torferry from time immemorial was a long, circular waterproof cloak of brown or iron-grey. But this young lady from London had a real Redfern-cut ‘‘ Newmarket,” of darkest blue waterproof cloth, and a wonderful little yachting cap with a peak, under which the yellow curls twisted distractingly, as they had a way of doing in rainy weather : the serge skirts were short enough to clear the neat lace-up boots, and the slender hands, as shapely as the feet, were clad in dog- skin gloves. I am afraid Harry stared rather more openly even than usual at this coquettish apparition, for Kate stopped in front of him and asked in all seriousness : ‘What is there wrong with me ? Don’t mind saying. Am I crooked or anything ?” Tredennick was a shy young fellow, despite his gigantic size, and had not been brought up to know that nowadays any young man may openly tell any young lady she is good-looking to her face and without preamble, so he could think of no answer beyond, “‘ Oh, you’re all right.” But his handsome grey eyes expressed something more. for even Kate, with all her experience, could not help flushing a little under their honest and evident admiration. ‘Come along or we shall be late, and mamma has given me a dozen more commissions. I hope this is not the afternoon when all Torferry shuts itself up early and goes out to walk with its young man !” Hardly are the careless words spoken than Kate feels rather than sees—for she is looking at her own pretty boots stepping down the wet path—that her companion is blushing hotly all over his fair skin and to the edge of the sunburnt neck which shows above his blue serge collar. She deftly changes the subject, inwardly laughing a little to herself that perhaps the young Squire has been joked, or, perhaps, even called to account for his infatuation at Myrtle Bank ; while he 1s only conscious of Mrs. Briscoe’s recent warnings against making him- self and Miss Verey conspicuous, and his grandmother’s contemptuous refusal to call on the London ladies, when he had at last screwed up his courage to demand outright what he had been hinting at for the last three weeks. “Even if you forget you are a Tredennick, you may be sure these friends of yours do not,” she had said, significantly. And Harry had there and then banged off to see the loveliest and dearest of her sex, the only woman he ever could or would love, anathematising the VOL, XL. O COnniclooolkks (CO)